Primed to Defend the Universe
by LawrenceSnake
Summary: Shepard is a guardian of life from an alternate stream of history. She's the hero this Galaxy deserves but not the one it needs right now. She'll fight for us all, whether we like it or not! WARNING! Contains pure awesomeness!
1. Prologue: Alimbic Destiny

**A/N: Hey everybody kind enough to check out my labour of love! This is an amalgamation of two realities, so inextricably linked that this back-story is my personal canon for the Mass Effect series! No really! And I owe it all to the colonist background. You'll see! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Reviews don't hurt either! A fair warning for all, some words are spelt in the English vernacular not American. And... This is a mature story. At least in its depiction of graphic violence, language, in-explicit sexual content and, (hopefully) I'll get to grapple with some adult themes. I respect my audience too much to give you anything else then all the gritty details. So, without further ado let's get on with the story! LawrenceSnake out!**

****BOOK 1****

**Primed to Defend the Universe**

**Prologue: Alimbic Destiny**

_"The Cosmos. __In the vast depths of the Universe, the history of humanity is but a flash of light from a lone star. The life of a single person should be lost in space and time. But among the stars, there is one light that burns brighter than all others. The light of __Samus Aran__. Her battles extend beyond her life, and etch themselves into history..."_

"Adam, we have company," the golden-clad huntress murmured from her command chair.

"Identifying…" the disembodied reply of her old friend answered, who was now a sophisticated on-board AI interface with all his accumulated memories uploaded into the ship's systems.

The ship in question was the fifth model of a Hunter-Class vessel; rebuilt after the BSL incident on Altair III. Samus had decided to name her _the Nova Corvette_ and now she lived up to her name as it's sub-light boosters powered the last star ship of the Chozo through a shimmering, incandescent nebula cloud at relativistic speeds.

Motes of light blazed against the exclusion-field as Samus weaved expertly through the pillars of heaven – anti-chaff ensuring that her instruments weren't thrown off by the devastating ionic winds.

"Ship registry code and hull markings identify the vessel as the Delano 7." Adam stated in his no-nonsense tone.

"Sylux," she growled. This implacable foe had dogged her steps for eons, systematically tracking her from a distance, never intervening in contracts except to maintain a presence near the region she was operating in. Several times he had believed himself the invisible observer only for her to ambush him pre-emptively; but he was a slippery one with a talent for showing up at the worst possible time.

"Hey, Lady!" Adam's voice broke her contemplation.

"Yes, Adam, I _know_ he's sending a hailing frequency; the way you speak to me sometimes - you'd think I'd joined Daiban Academy yesterday."

"Sorry – Samus." He replied ruefully.

"That's quite all right, _Commander,_ just focus on passive hacking algorithms while I worry about the multitasking okay?"

Adam's response was outraged.

"Samus, you should know that I would _never_ make a remark regarding _sexism_; I give you too many reasons to oppose me already."

"By that logic all my achievements wouldn't have been influenced by you in the smallest way," she retorted. Adam was silent. Samus smiled in self-satisfaction.

With a barely conscious thought Samus manipulated her Head's-up-display into establishing an inter-stellar video-chat between the pursuing ship, after three seconds of lag Sylux's own helmeted visage was projected onto the interface.

_"Now I know what you're thinking Aran,"_ he said without preamble, _"you think I'm here to collect the debt you owed me from the Tetra Galaxy contract."_ His voice was harsh yet choked with age – it had been over a century since 'the ultimate power' had obliterated the being known as Gorea. Sylux was merely human and had degenerated as such – the humanoid he spoke to was a different story.

"It was _your_ greed that crippled you, _traitor_…" Aran said dismissively. To her surprise the Federation deserter did not refute her accusation.

_"Of course it did, just as your passion for revenge turned _you_ into a weapon, a blunt tool the Galactic Federation could use against the Space Pirates."_

"You know _nothing_ about my motivations, Sylux, I wouldn't expect a dog of war like you to understand."

_"Oh, but I do,"_ He hacked and wheezed his next words, _"despite your incredible accomplishments you feel no _pride_ in them, only a never-quenching desire to alleviate the suffering of others: most, _noble_ of you."_

"I'm flattered but I doubt you'd track me to the Eagle Nebula, just to sing my praises."

_"Your instincts serve you better then the combined experience of the Guild's cadre, Aran. For you _must_ have hypothesized that the Alimbics were not _the first_ or _the last _to fall to Gorea."_

Intrigued, Samus decreased her acceleration so that both ships flew abreast of each other. "Speak quickly then, what do you know?

_"Come now, Aran... The ancient machines replicated themselves from beyond the infinity void using the Alimbic's _own technology_."_

"So they _weren't_ just security placed there to guard the inter-dimensional prison? But that makes no logical sense, It would just obstructs their kind from returning, unless…"

_"Unless they were an _advance guard_."_ Sylux finished for her.

"Impossible, these entities, these _ancients_ subsisted in an entirely different plane, they could contact our reality through psionic's but to construct _an army or a fleet_ powerful enough to destroy civilizations, _between universes_, is a magnitude above and beyond."

_"Than how did _one_ demiurge wipe out _the Alimbic Empire_!"_

"I don't know... Maybe their society had been influenced along certain technological boundaries? They were isolationists as well, no one to come to their rescue. Regardless, that's not the salient point, here. Why are _you_, of _all people_ bringing this to my attention?"

Suddenly, the Delano 7 decelerated bringing it's weapon systems to bear upon the rear of the Nova Corvette.

"Evasive maneuvers recommended, Lady!" Cried Adam.

Samus did just that, twisting the steering yoke so that her larger ship performed a barrel roll while simultaneously accelerating through stardust debris. Yet the more agile ship kept pace, opening fire with a barrage of disruptor rounds; a lesser pilot would have been torn apart but Samus skilfully evaded the majority while a few glanced off the protective force field.

_"You didn't see what I and the other hunters saw Aran!"_ Sylux now screamed over the intercom, sounding completely deranged. _"When Gorea possessed us and used our abilities against you, do you know what we saw!_ DO YOU!_"_

"Adam, cease communications" was Aran's reply as she attempted to loop up and over the obviously insane mercenary. He responded by gunning his ship after her in a similar tactic; only for Aran to activate the Corvette's rear mounted 100mm Gatling plasma cannon. Violent green bolts of scorching fourth state's of matter screamed through space, smiting the Delano 7 with incredible force. It's own shields buckled, flared and failed forcing Sylux to break off the chase. Aran completed her spiral loop and tore after him.

"Switch to Solaris homing missiles," upon her issued voice command the Corvette's twin stabilizer wings sprung open with pneumatic hisses, revealing the intimidating rocket bays coiled within.

"Lock on," she said coolly, the targeting reticule aligned upon the port thrusters of the fleeing gunship. "Fire."

Two jets of oscillating, raw power burst from the torpedo tubes, swerved with their target's desperate attempts to escape; and impacted. The detonation lit both ships as a section of the Delano's hull warped into cerise molten slag, one thruster was ripped off and the explosion burst a part of the reinforced superstructure, oxygen defused out of the shattered hull as it rolled feebly through space; completely crippled.

"_Far too easy,_" thought Samus as she brought herself to circle her seemingly downed quarry.

"Firewalls bypassed" Adam chimed in. Samus quickly analyzed her options: she could leave the fellow hunter adrift, blow him to smithereens, or use her cyber warfare suite to take control of his systems and try to decipher his ramblings.

Musing about Sylux's inanities on the Alimbic extinction, Samus re-established contact. His ragged breathing was all she could hear; he was dying.

_"Heh… always _knew_ I wasn't good enough… to take _you_… Aran."_ Sylux coughed, _"but I - had to _try_ – they're going to kill _so many again_... someone _has_ to stop them, not going to be _me_… that's for sure. Jeez... What a waste.."_ Spasms wracked his words.

"_Who_ are _they_, Sylux? _What_ did you see?" Samus pressed him, remembering the farsighted clairvoyance that the Chozo had displayed both on Zebes and Tallon IV. Perhaps Gorea had cruelly bestowed this 'gift' knowing it would drive the hunters mad; only beings of incredible willpower could withstand psionic implantation.

_"They're _our end_, Aran, the eldritch gods that wait beyond our perception…"_ His words grew more frantic. _"They are death, the darkness!"_

An omni-prescient shiver ran down Aran's spine, similar to her own sixth sense gained from decades of combat. The man she knew had been cerebral, cold, calculating; yet the maddened creature she now listened to was unpredictable, violent and insane. Such a change could not have been wrought through natural processes.

_"THEY WILL DAMN US _ALL!_"_ Roared Sylux, as if he was trying to ward off imaginary demons.

Samus decided to put him out of his misery, she activated hacking procedures and caused the failing ship's electrical systems to overload catastrophically; igniting the oxygen and fuel gel mixture into a whirling inferno. With a mighty explosion the ship and it's pilot were ripped apart to join the endless cosmic clouds.

Exhaling slowly, Aran activated warp speed and headed even further out from the GF controlled Galaxies, the void between these oases of potential life stretched on for infinity but the Nova Corvette's warp drive was six times higher than the average mass to power ratio for similar sized vessels. It would take her three days to reach the outlying Galaxy of her choice; moat were uncharted. She merely had to choose...

Still deliberating, Samus rose from her seat and flexed her arm supply, the gluino-energy tank infused nano-crystals that made up the famous Varia suit melted away as she severed the mental link with her foster parent's heritage. Swirling yellow, green and red sparks washed off her form, revealing the remarkable individual underneath.

Of truly formidable musculature and height, she stood 6 foot 3 inches, but built like no woman alive, with her form fitting clothing accentuating her iron thews. She was more powerfully built than any gymnast yet more lithe than any body-builder. And it would be the greatest mistake in the study of the female form to say she looked tumescent or even masculine. Her body was that of an unmatched killer, it reflected in her obscenely easy movement and in the mettle of her ramrod posture and in the fact it looked as if you could slice your fingers off if you ran them across just one of those breathing delineated contours.

Her eyes were even more captivating, (though few knew it.) And although they were found to be often creased in her typical standing expressions of a placid frown or a serene dance on the edge of roguery, their full almond shape contained orbs of a truly unique colour. Her irises were a blend of darkest Catalina blue tinged with streaks of Midnight green. What was astonishing was how they could transition between a multitude of rainbow spectrum flares when subject to reflection of different light sources. (Mostly varying kinds of explosions). They rested beneath slightly rounded tan wood grey hued brows that tapered sharply towards the end, showcasing a personality that seemed both delicate and unyielding.

In a similar contrast, her features were angular and sharp, yet seemingly soft and heart-shaped if she so chose to play it so. But the isochronisms of battle and loss couldn't be truly disguised. The straight-on face of the kind girl was belied by her deep cut jawline, swooping cheekbones, high forehead and rather impressive narrow chin of the warrior woman, giving her an undeniably fearsome appearance despite her, equally, apodictic beauty. Even her nose, which had a fittingly 'cute' celestial curve was hardened by an aquiline downturn and a long Greek nasal bridge that parted her eyes in something quite nearing that long sought after score of ten around the golden ratio that the Ancient Egyptians and Renaissance Masters had sought long and hard to find. In reality, many perfectionists would say she was broad-faced, her eyes too squinting or too cruel, dimensions unbalanced, her small lips, when added to every other feature making her look perpetually glum, or even frightening. But that was okay in her book, she was supremely comfortable in her own skin. And that was all that mattered.

Last but certainly not least, was her hair of truly unique colour and texture. It was like spun bronze and the sun woven together, held in a short ponytail with two larger locks framing her lobed symmetrical ears. Once the full length of her hair had been truly Rapunzelean but now it was of a much more sensible cascade as she undid her braids and shook out her mane with a flourish.

"So, Adam. Any suggestions on where we should travel to?" Asked Samus as she stretched while heading to her sleeping quarters.

"The Federation are _still_ actively hunting us for a plethora of reasons; even all these years later: destruction of GF real estate, bombardment of a Class 3 Planet, theft of an high-standing AI personality of yours truly, _General Adam Malkovich_."

"Well you _did_ help me crash that B.O.W. laboratory into SR388 Adam."

"Yes, they underestimated the degree of control they could place on an AI, especially one with _Human_ memories."

"Ever regret throwing in your lot with me?"

"Huh, not for _a minute_, my Lady. The Federation has fallen _a long way _a way from what it _used_ to stand for and I don't intend to abandon an old friend in need."

"Much appreciated, Adam. After all, you're not going anywhere." She said mirthfully.

"And the same could be said for a certain bounty hunter I know; they'd love to gain the essence of the last Metroid in existence – _you_. If they capture us they'll lock you up and throw away the key. Then bring out the live autopsy..."

"Hmm… _Another_ reason to leave for good."

As she continued the conversation, Samus performed her usual _low intensity_ aerobic calisthenics before meditative sleep, contorting herself with plyometric jumping, standing flips and bridges, single handstand shoulder push-ups, full length ankle pivot abdominal twisting leg raises, _while suspended upside down_. Explosive crucifix pull-ups and other ring work, back and stomach handsprings, prone and hanging hyper-extensions, inclined planks, superman push-ups and all manner of fantastic dead leaps joined the exercises together.

"What did you think of his - _predictions_?" Aran inquired casually, without any loss of ataraxy while under her regimen.

"I scanned his brainwaves, he certainly wasn't lying about the visions, whether they're _true_ or not is another matter entirely." Adam replied cautiously.

Aran now performed further impossible dislocation stretches that compressed her form into a small sphere, followed by intense climbing and acclivity sprinting. Aran considered the deranged man's final words.

"There's nothing left for us_ here_, Adam. Gray Voice and Old Bird are long dead, as are the rest of the Chozo. The GF are now leaning on all my old contacts, and I won't allow any other race to harbour us at a cost to themselves."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"We're going to ascend to _greater heights_, Adam. Premonitions of such power invariably drive the individual insane; ignoring such an omen is the height of folly."

"And attempting inter-dimensional travel to save said civilizations seems like the far greater obliquity to me."

"You _forget_ that there are forces greater then _ourselves_ at work here, old friend. I never claimed to believe in destiny but I've always striven to combat the forces of darkness so that no one would suffer the same fate my families once suffered. Divert our course to the Tetra Galaxy, we're going to Alinos."

"Samus that's a _dead world_, and if you're going to attempt what I think you are... Lady, the Alimbic cannon only opened into _the infinity void_."

"When it was _static_ maybe."

"I don't like the sound of this… But what the hell. Let's go."

"Let's."

* * *

><p>After months of complex modification, Samus gazed down upon the Milky Way Galaxy from thousands of parsecs above the spiral arms, on the outer hull of the Nova Corvette, the Hunter made some last minute checks and diagnostics to the Alimbic cannon. It had taken a great deal of time to discover the key resonances that the octolith crystals emitted to rip open the fabric of reality. Then to manually change the co-ordinates to focus on the cradle of humanity. Somehow, she just knew that the evil Sylux foretold would manifest itself there.<p>

The easiest part had been integrating the ancient device onto the underbelly of her ship, just as the modular nature of her armour allowed her to absorb alien technologies, so too did her ship. Said armour blazed emerald light from the V-shaped visor and tron-line power emitters as Aran carefully inputted the equations on a lensman projected holo-pad and transcribed them with the minute grace of an engineer onto the hardware itself. Nothing moved and no particles existed in the vacuum of space, meaning the only mistakes she made would be down to her own error.

A single bead of sweat dropped from her brow as she ever so softly transferred her own suit's energy along the exact conduits to ensure the sequence would fire correctly. The mathematical software programme that had taken her a month alone to write had tested her scientific abilities to the limit. Now would be the time to see whether it would all pay off; after all manipulating a millennia old portal gun wasn't as easy as rocket science.

The transistors were all finally aligned and glowing with motive energy, the octoliths thrummed with power and Aran had made sure that the crystals were compromised with an implanted self-destruct device so that the portal would close behind her after the journey was complete. Scanning the finished construct, every read-out seemed to be in the green zone, this was a one-way trip.

Back in the Corvette's cockpit, Samus Aran reminisced back on every contract – successful and unsuccessful – she had undertaken. The countless lives she had saved; and those she had sent to their final rest. Places and people flitted by through her mind. She had lost and gained so much in this Universe, laughed and loved, fought and killed. Most would look back and never wish to leave the ever-expanding borders of the sphere they grew up in and where they had been widely known and once honoured.

To Samus Aran, it was just like leaving another world. People needed her, and there was _always_ another mission, another objective to complete.


	2. The Star That Burns Brightest

**A/N: Did you know that Samus Aran's cartilage and skeletal structure began to deteriorate after decades of living in lighter gravity (comparable to Zebes?) Forcing the huntress to become a painkiller junkie. She even performed a double round-house kick on a ham-strung leg during a pitched battle with Vâyok the Blight! (Shout out to Insomniac's FanFic The Best There Is, check it out on the Metroid Database!) Numerous _feedings_ with her Metroid powers though, have restored and rejuvenated Aran to her prime once more. Despite the wealth of gruesome injuries she has received over the course of her career. **

**The Star That Burns Brightest**

As the sleek golden ship gained unlimited momentum, the mounted cannon began to charge with white, crackling energy. Samus aimed for the inner star systems and surged forward, praying to the ghosts of her family that she would not overshoot the galaxy completely and be trapped in dark space with a disabled craft. Eight shafts of polarized anti-matter issued forth from the Alimbic's last technological triumph, distorting the pitch black of the cosmos as they combined to form a rippling vortex of unparalleled complexity.

Aran didn't flinch as the wormhole loomed ahead, instead she shifted to warp speed just as the Corvette sliced through reality itself. Lightning tore at the vessel, in actuality the power of creation was resisting the plane's transference. Static colours danced across the view-port as the ship powered down the tunnel between the alternate Universes; radiant, distorting power streams seemed to bend her surroundings into bizarre mirror images even though the Nova Corvette was cocooned in it's own shimmering hyper exclusion field.

The process was not unlike using the places between worlds as an express highway; and Aran was in the fast lane. Her usually impeccable sense of timing was becoming blurred from the bizarre form of transport, but it did not stop her from disengaging warp speed at the exactly calculated time.

Luminescent force flowed like water as the planes realigned with a colossal shock-wave of blazing power. The Nova Corvette was engulfed in this arcing energy; the Alimbic cannon sheared into pieces and the rest of the vessel suffered a similar feed-back of electricity. Spinning through the stars Samus struggled to regain control, only to realise that her flight path was going to bring her into a crash landing on a far-flung planetoid, rapidly decreasing in distance. The tear in time snapped shut, propelling the Bounty Hunter in a comet of incredible speed.

"_This is going to hurt_."

Atmospheric re-entry was intense, as most anti-gravity features had been disabled due to the harsh transit. Ten seconds later the Nova Corvette crashed frightfully onto alien soil - in an alternate Universe - of a similar Galaxy. A normal passenger would have surely died - but Samus was _anything_ but ordinary. Discombobulated but otherwise unharmed due to her robust physical prowess and nigh indestructible battle-suit; she unsteadily opened the ship's top hatch and surveyed the arid landscape.

It was barren in all directions and upon performing environmental analysis she determined that the air was breathable for all carbon based life forms. Odd then that there was no flora or fauna catalogues. Perturbed, Samus raised her palm skyward and projected a highly advanced bio-LADAR ray, seconds later it rebounded back as an untraceable magnetic field that quickly updated the 3-D map in Samus' logbook. Using only a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of petaFLOPS of processing power the suit possessed; the entire topography was hers. Including positions of all organisms, microscopic or otherwise, even the entire spectrum of wavelength systems was monitored.

The first blip was of a small settlement barely 20 miles West from her 'landing-zone', it exhibited passive radio signals; she would have to investigate on foot to learn more. The far more disturbing feature of the planet was the invisible blanket of spores that were creating the atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen. Manipulating the data, Samus began to collate her findings as she had done before when her people's zoological archives had failed her. It was some form of bizarre synthesis, parasitic in nature, forcibly extracting carbon and nitrogen compounds from plant and animal alike. Prolonged exposure to the atmosphere would cause tissue degeneration, halt circulation, and result in unconsciousness and death.

Further estimates placed the length of exposure needed to induce fatality at three months. Thoughtfully, Samus sequestered the data entry away and considered the turn of events. She had hoped to land on a desolate primordial world – thanks to her Chozo DNA Samus could survive in heavily oxygenated or nitrified – even sulphurous atmospheres without technological aid. Further more, the Metroid vaccine which had saved her from the X Parasite had granted her their membranous power to willfully draw another's life force, either to strengthen one's self; or devour the victim. All things considered, Aran doubted the spores could do her any harm, especially compared to the morphing terror known as the X.

No, these _pioneers_ would soon succumb to the effects though. They had to be from the greater Galactic community and would investigate the crash; right now the pursuit of knowledge while remaining hidden was her primary goal.

Delicately, Samus commenced reboot operations, the Corvette's systems would be needed for a full solar-system scan; and she hoped Adam had remained unharmed personality wise. Bounding down to the earth Samus walked due West – the sun obscured behind the clouds – to meet the first representatives of this Milky Way.

* * *

><p>Gatatog Darzul sighed with pleasure, his huge grey tongue lolling obscenely from the great cavity of a mouth that all Krogan possessed. Sitting astride him was a bound and gagged Asari, enduring the perversities of her captor. As the ride continued the tent was illuminated from the outside, the source disappeared as promptly as it had arrived. Culminating with a groan, Darzul tossed the Asari captive onto the floor where she stirred feebly.<p>

Nearly six centuries old, Darzul was as grizzled as they came. His hide was a mottled black with a jade hue and his obsidian crest and hump were equally pronounced. A criss-cross pattern of self-inflicted scars decorated his crest, aligned above small, cruel amber eyes; their snake-slit pupils alight with malignity.

He rose languorously and began to snap on his Colossus Kassa Fabrications branded body armour, a younger Krogan pulled back the canvas flap and addressed him:

"Battlemaster, an anomaly just landed 20 miles East from the camp."

After a moment's pause Darzul spoke in guttural voice.

"Could it be a downed ship?" His thoughts immediately turning to whether he could pillage or pirate from the UFO.

"Our sensor array couldn't detect anything, but we all saw it descend in a ball of flame, Narda thinks it might be a mineral rich asteroid."

"It was the source of that light a minute ago." It was not a question but his fellow Krogan eagerly responded.

"Yes, Battlemaster, it was as if Aralakh himself was descending from the sky."

Darzul grimaced: "then it _can't_ be a ship, the mass effect field needed to sustain a vessel entering this gravity well would be enormous. None of the Terminus Clans or Council races have that kind of technology."

"Shall I send out a search party?" His Major Domo queried.

"No, we'll investigate tomorrow, Morek. Mineral resources can wait. In the mean time you and the men enjoy yourselves on my leftovers." He grinned while gesturing to the exhausted, nude Asari. "She lasted longer than any of that Freighter's crew, just make sure to dump her body with the others when you're bored with her."

Morek eyed the alien licentiously.

* * *

><p>From five clicks away, Samus Aran scanned the compound situated against the back of a wide valley and an open plain to the South-West; with an eagle's gaze she took in the immediate threat. There were several large tents with innumerable different races milling about – they wore ablative hard-suits and battery packs that could kinetically halt high velocity rounds. Their weapons were primitive by Aran's standards: suspended grains accelerated at subsonic velocities would do tremendous bodily harm to unshielded organics; but against the Varia Suit's gluino shielding they would do less damage then Federation proton slugs.<p>

She indexed 213 life-signs using the thermal and rad visors and definitely ascertained that they were not peaceful settlers - but brigands due to the heavily modified cargo cruiser with a civilian data-code; that acted as a make-shift defence. Other vehicles included six tank tyre rover APCs, four armed and armoured continental transport carriers with an A-61 designation code and two spacecraft: light frigates.

But she had to make sure... Scans along with her own considerable deductive and pattern recognition skills filtered through her mind: _"ships are heavily armed for their size, indicates use for combat, possibly military or mercenary, unlikely - hardware standards are patch-job, pilfered from different species judging by the differing styles - not a PMC, likely they're privateers or organized cartel. Addendum: __ships are poorly maintained, chemical spectrometer syncs with olfactory sensors: may be narcotic contraband of some sort, probably for keeping slaves docile, perhaps... Likelihood of being pirates. 99. 76%. Consider moving to engage."_

Aran suddenly realised the hijacked ship was relatively new. Which meant the raid had happened recently... With some unease, she switched to the spectral dark visor, and noticed two bleary red distortions against the washed out grey landscape, beyond the camp. One was a turbulent sandstorm, by her estimates about an hour away. The other was the heavy miasmatic cloud of a mass grave beyond the camp's perimeter.

She felt the usual sense of soothing justification for the destruction she was about to unleash. The Hunter thanked her forbears that the planetoid wasn't settled by a small colony. That would have made her job a lot more complicated, but she would deeply enjoy the purge of these picaroons, slavers and murderers. Once her prey was dead she could establish her own base of operations.

Keying in to the Nova Corvette's frequency, Samus resumed communications with Adam, confident that the raiders could not detect her.

"The Corvette's auto repairs will be finished in ten minutes, my Lady. Apart from the Alimbic cannon all other primary and sub-systems survived the wormhole and the crash."

"Good, put the bio-command interface on standby as soon as all systems are operational. Launch the research beacons as well while your at it."

"You're off to maintain our anonymity by razing that place to the ground, Samus?"

"Among other things... Yes. I'm going to avenge those poor souls, find out exactly what we're dealing with in this Galactic society – and there's nothing quite like a _live fire simulation_ to evaluate alien technology." She added as a dour afterthought.

"Just make sure there's something left to salvage, eh!" Adam chuckled.

As fast as a Cheetah, Samus reached a high-ridge not one-hundred meters from the mercenary compound. From her 70 foot perch, Samus activated the Imperialist sniper quantum-cascade laser function on her arm cannon; the stream-lined weapon extended as organically as a crystal expansion taken by a time lapsed camera. Six sentries presented themselves, there was no need to adjust for wind speed or recoil as the weapon was just as much a part of her as her own telescopic vision. Thin, pencil-width beams of red light zipped silently through six skulls; leaving 207 to go.

Cries of alarm sounded as in less than three seconds six more comrades were blown away by silent sniper fire, revealing their aggressors' position. Leaping off the precipice, Samus targeted a rover's power-cells – a portable hydrogen generator – plus a munitions tent and a cluster of eight mercs with a plasma infused seeker salvo of missiles. The cannon's head divided like a flower's petals splitting open and released its glowing payload of crimson lava with a slick reverberation. The four projectiles of trailing hellfire split and arced into the different quadrants of the camp.

"INCOMING!" Yelled some poor vigilant sap far to late to make a difference. The resultant explosions ignited the camp and ripped the structures apart – claiming thirty more lives. 171.

The Hunter struck the earth with a thunderous blow and jumped forty feet skyward, space jumped, then shifted to morph ball and boosted at 300mph down and through four more humanoids, tearing them to pieces. Reverse-pirouetting through the transformation, Samus swept a swathe of gold-cyan veined power through their ranks: Torsos split, heads shattered, some exploded into bloody scraps or were disintegrated where they stood, while others flew back, their hearts and brains jolted to a halt by over ten thousand mega-joules shocking their systems.

Despite the carnage her fellow bi-peds launched a ferocious counter attack, spraying ammunition indiscriminately only for the rounds to vanish in wisps of steam as they pinged off Aran's armour. They were firing desperately and out of fear, unwittingly gunning down their own. Kinetic barriers were useless against the endless supply of directed energy that cut down any foolish enough to engage in a straight up fire fight.

Though her blood sung with battle-joy, Aran was not oblivious to the group of fifty mercs attempting to flank her, the suit's ODS and her own sharp eyes quickly alerted her to their simple tactics and she responded in kind; cart-wheeling on her left hand Samus cocked and fired two ballistic missiles in quick succession, body parts and multi-coloured offal splattered over the sand, yet several pirates rushed at her heedlessly. The first was a bony, skeletal alien with flared mandibles who brandished an assault rifle, emptying nearly a hundred rounds against her impenetrable hide; the psionic link between Aran and the Varia suit meant that she could still (relatively) feel pain. However, pain had long since ceased to be an impediment to her concentration, rather, it was a clarifier. Reaching melee range, the avian creature attempted to rifle butt Aran, only for her to duck the clumsy strike, (out of pride more than need), and upper cut in retaliation, the blow ripped the Turian in half, from groin to left shoulder. In a spray of blue metallic blood, both halves spun away.

Many halted at this display of super-human strength, their jaws dropping in disbelief. Samus allowed herself a vicious grin, her corporal processes were about fifty times stronger than an average human and had been honed to beyond Olympic proportions by fourteen years of training since the age of three. These unrivaled natural abilities were further augmented six-fold by the powered exo-skeleton she was ensconced in.

A cacophony of swear words, curses and entreaties to her painful demise reached her ears as thirty of them surrounded her. She couldn't help but admire their tenacity; most marauders would flee after losing sixty friends but these continued to jeer, unwilling to give up their final refuge from the rest of the Galaxy.

Well, justice had found them, and she answered their hisses with a deafening battle cry – that through her helmet's voxcoder sounded like the screech of some unfathomable bird of prey.

Turning on her left foot she sliced through the thick neck of a reptilian brute with her right elbow, at the same time eviscerating a frog-eyed alien with a backhand swipe. The group tried to swarm her but were once again pushed back as skulls were staved in or vital arteries smashed into gory juices. Executing an astonishing axial-torso roll Samus spun her legs like a propeller and batted seven mercenaries away, they screamed horribly as their hard-suits crumpled into their frail bodies or were rent like paper, spurting blood that was green, orange, blue and even the red of her own kind; the glorious predator didn't discriminate her prey.

A new enemy entered the battle, a female purple humanoid with strange sculpted folds of flesh instead of hair. An extraordinary corona of blue shifting light emanated from the base of her neck, traveled up both arms and discharged from her fists. The roiling wave of gravitonic dark energy swept up sand particles and slammed into Samus Aran - and washed over and away. Astounded, the Asari tried to gather her power again but not before Samus darted forward and cracked her head open with an economical jab to the crown.

Dark Matter had been classified and utilized by the Chozo millenia ago. Integrated Graviga compensator nodes, in place of the old Gravity Suit Upgrade, could counteract the vacuum of space by shielding Aran in her own signature of the places between stars, between the veil of reality. With it she could swim through the outer core of a terrestrial planet unscathed. Or walk across the surface of Venusian Hothouse's and even Main Sequence Stars. A few hundred Newtons of telekinetic force didn't even compare.

She continued with use of shoulder barges, chops, head-butts and the occasional varied kick, the pirates had no choice but to retreat from her onslaught. Drawing back her hand she unfurled a crackling electro-grapple that doubled as a plasma whip on maximum power outage. It fizzed through the air as they withdrew, severing three at the hips and ensnaring one around the neck. Yanking him back, she drove her arm cannon through his stomach, noting with interest as he squirmed and expired; that he had two sets of eyes.

"_That leaves 129 of these scumbags_."

A four-eyed kin member launched himself onto Aran's back in the second it took for her to disengage from the limp corpse; he fired three point blank shots from his pistol into the side of her helmet. Back-flipping, the bounty hunter activated her infamous _Screw Attack_; unstoppable disruptive currents swirled from her body and molecularly rearranged the moronic spider monkey. Meaning that his body and equipment melted in a split-second before rupturing like a microwavable meal.

"_128,_" Samus corrected herself as she landed. She took a quick glance at her energy tank reserves, 1482/1485. Those hand cannons sure packed a punch.

Now with some breathing room, she noticed the pirates splitting into groups due to the roared orders of their leader. One group tore towards the vehicles while more infantry leveled long-range rifles, bazookas and brought heavy-weaponry to bear.

Darzul had watched with astonishment as the alien warrior had massacred his best men and women. Growling in fury he pumped his Sokolov shotgun and locked a water-coolant mod in place. Stepping out into the sunlight he bellowed at his disparate forces:

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, ITS ONLY ONE MAN! _KILL HIM_!" They rallied and began loosing warheads, heavy grains and light machine-gun fire. All for naught. Relying upon her speed and reflexes, Samus dodged round after round, her form a blur as she seemingly disappeared and reappeared. Diving through the air, the cannon's mouth widened and began to rotate slowly, from within a whirring sound began to build as blue refractive light began to pulsate slowly, then increase in speed. Her continued dodging elicited howls of rage and fear from her foes.

Unexpectedly, Samus activated the spring ball and rocketed skyward, her form blocking the harsh sun as she rose over a hundred feet, then spiraled down, the cannon mouth revolved backwards at extraordinary speed, expelling a scything hailstorm of scatter-shot taloric energy rounds. The raining globules of cobalt stuck to the assorted individuals, waxed once with watery brilliance then went off like hand grenades. It was pandemonium. Fifteen were blown apart while five lay crying, legless, armless, or both. Samus tumbled expertly to the ground and lobbed two more luminous energy spheres which seemingly appeared in her left hand, while charging another, longer, maelstrom on her right. His troops immobilized, Darzul gritted his teeth as they gave more ground. Conventional weapons were having no effect!

"Use tech attacks!" He snarled to four combat mechanics – out of the corner of his eye he spied a mounted mass accelerator turret.

"Time to turn this battle around..."

While readying their holographic omni tools, two mercs projected minifactured proximity mines at their unstoppable enemy; for a moment it seemed that the warrior was affected by both pulses as it broke off it's deadly preparatory strike when the mines ignited with a dual Sabotage and Overload field.

Samus ran forward as the pirates poured concentrated fire against her, one overly zealous human technician began a hacking routine on the Varia suit, his expression kept it's look of slack surprise when the forearm-mounted power module blew up in his face, knocking him out cold.

Sliding on her back, Aran activated the wave beam, the arm cannon opened horizontally and an indigo bolt of sputtering lightning issued forth and arced between several of them; they danced gruesomely as the voltage cooked them alive while shorting out all of their electronic devices. Bounding upright Samus fired several more bolts into the mob – lifting some off their feet – their limbs jerking in a violent spasm. Others still fared much worse; _bursting_ into glop when their armour failed to conduct the lion's share of the charge.

A tintinnabulation of heavy rounds rocked Samus away, doing real damage for the first time, 40 energy units were expended before she rolled as fluidly as a river rapid out of the firing radius of the manned turret. From a kneeling position she raised the green power crystal on the back of her upraised, clenched palm and absorbed the thundering 20mm slugs through a reverse polarity electromagnetic shield produced by the seamless gem. At the same time searing white flames burst from the arm cannon; crisping a dozen as she swept the conflagration back and forth. Finally, their morale broke, they turned and fled as if the Devil was on their heels.

The Raging Devil smirked under her helmet at the look of pure infuriation on the gunner's face, at the same time, Aran felt her energy tanks begin to overflow as the siphon shield topped up the gluino.

So she released the stored potential energy into a rushing localized jet of light. It threw aside the stream of bullets which shredded the bodies of the dead and the wounded alike, before it struck the turret with all the might of a bull Sheegoth. The outer barrels shattered into aero-dynamic shrapnel that disappointingly reflected off most of the kinetic barriers of the retreating forces.

"Cowards! Hrakhors!" Howled the gunner who hadn't been as lucky, and was sporting a deep gash in his plated crest. Foaming, he manually fired a splash rocket from the ruined but not defunct turret. Samus stood thirty metres away, as the rocket closed the last ten metres she coolly snagged the rocket out of the air with her electro-grapple, spun it once around and slung it back with twice its original force. Darzul gawped, open mouthed as the rocket contacted his crumbling cover and exploded; hurling his limp body twenty metres away to crash motionless onto the sand and slide to an orange-smeared halt.

_"So much for him."_ Aran quipped – the centre of the camp was in ruins, scorched with unnatural weapons fire and littered with carcasses, her internal clock advised her that she still had fifty four minutes before the sand storm wiped away all traces of the extermination. Upon the horizon, three of the five remaining rovers sped across the plain towards her, while just under a hundred survivors rallied towards the foot of the mountain where the gunships were situated.

Surging forward, she began to sprint – heading on a collision course with the lead six-wheeled tank. Pebbles and sand dust flew up as in less than two seconds she reached 90mph; her incredibly powerful legs were accelerated by advanced gyroscopic boosters on her heels and shoulder blades, effortlessly bypassing the petty physical limitations of friction and drag. The air around her undulated with a resounding sonic boom as her terminal velocity was octrupled past the sound barrier. Two of the APCs broke off as they saw the relentless figure gather in swiftness, yet one remained on course, firing a 155mm explosive slug from it's turret at a fraction of light speed – she merely ran through the mortar; now racing at Mach 3 and _gaining_.

As the distance diminished between them, the APC tried to swerve at the final moment.

Far overdue.

Samus collided then ploughed through the four tonne vehicle. It was a shower of metal scraps as it birled over twenty revolutions, the densely woven polymers and gaseous hydrogen fuels evaporated before they could react; just the wheels remained. Bouncing over the terrain in a grisly parody of jumping jacks.

Without breaking stride Aran hurtled onwards before coming to an abrupt halt, the shifting echoes that traced her inexorable path gathered within her armour, then radiated outwards as Samus let fly at Mach 5 back through the air like a meteor; towards the last two APCs.

Indistinguishable from a shooting star, she smashed between the rovers with a cataclysmic blow. The resulting shock-wave overturned the further one, splintering it's exterior like wet bark under a hatchet and snapped both of the axles cleanly apart. The nearer APC cracked from the inside as it's core systems sparked off and consumed the vehicle in a buffeting firestorm.

Taking a deep breath as the tremors died, the last progeny of both the Chozo and Metroid races surveyed the devastation – she could still read brain activity from the rover on its side, with a whistling rupture of hydrogen fuel leaking out. Strolling closer she signaled Adam who immediately began speaking in a urgent tone: "Nice timing, Samus. The Nova Corvette is ready to go, good thing too, they're scrambling their own gunships and - "

"Adam. Listen to me now." Samus cut across him. "_Two_ are flying South – attempting to escape the operational zone." As she spoke she made out the silhouettes of two aircraft fleeing in said direction above a steep mountain range. At the same time, some of the surviving mercs began to crawl from the rover's wreckage.

Mercilessly, Aran half-turned and shot a standard missile into the leaking undercarriage without bothering to check if it connected. Another pyrotechnic lit up the sky as she changed her bearing, proceeding with the conversation idly: "however, my scans confirm that they don't have inter-planetary drives. I'd go myself but I've got to clean up here. Handle it, will you."

"Roger that. Oh, there's one thing you should probably know, the - "

"Other two are circling around that cloud cover about 10k above me." She finished for him.

"... Just watching your back, my Lady. There are _forty_ mercs, ten stuffed into each gunship, that means only thirty four ground troops left over."

"Thanks for the heads-up." Aran confided as she began a 20mph jog back to the compound.

"You know they've barricaded themselves in one of their frigates." Adam continued.

"Trapped like Zoomers in a tunnel," Samus retorted.

"Let's hope none of these guys are as _hardy_ as a Zoomer."

"Huh, not if this filth is anything to go by – easiest fight I've ever had."

"If you're sure, good hunting then, Samus."

* * *

><p>Darzul awoke with a start. His guts on fire, it felt as though his secondary and tertiary organs had been pulped into sponge.<p>

"Argh, Kruban preserve me!" He groaned, coughing up orange spittle. Even without pain to inform him, he could feel organs and bone scraping and tearing his insides. The six hundred pound Krogan dragged himself upright to sit against a smouldering generator, his body burning with blood rage regeneration. He could only watch as the gold and red warrior advanced through the camp, stalking now, without hurry, towards one of his ships.

"I'll kill you, tear you to shreds..." he whispered through missing teeth. Among the scattered detritus he glimpsed a High Explosive round magazine – an insane smile lit his craggy features.

As Samus neared the frigate's entrance, she interfaced the bio-tech command visor and configured the Nova Corvette's grapple laser, hoping to take one of the gunships for study. An airlock door made of solid metal – probably pressurized – loomed ahead, for a second she considered cutting through it with her plasma welder, then she straight-kicked the hatch off its seal. It flew inwards, crushing two Humans, the fact that they were her own birth race did nothing to mitigate her rampage. A cavalcade of gunfire answered her intrusion, which she returned in equal measure; every single beam particle claimed another life and forced the withering sentients to retreat down the deeper corridors for a last stand in the CIC.

"_What a_ _waste of my time_," she thought soberly; none of these people could defeat her and now they were making her task almost unpleasant with their scurrying and hiding antics. Many of her former colleagues had enjoyed an unnecessary prolonging of the pursuit aspect of their profession far too much for her tastes. Samus on the other hand, only reveled in titanic battles that tested her abilities – not this butchering of outcast degenerate individuals, necessary as it may be.

Concocting a quick plan, Aran forced the vent cover of an air duct and drew a path on her map, it led right above the command and information centre. Morphing to ball form she squeezed into the passage and took off into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Adam had caught up with the A-61's; though they gunned their engines for everything they were worth they could not out pace the Corvette. She harried them from above like a falcon, the gravitational boost pads that served as landing gear were also stabilizing jets during flight and hovering maneuvers. Now they served a different purpose altogether as they disrupted electronics and began to liquefy the hull like wax; it dropped from the air as a molten slagheap. The other tried to veer out from under the Corvette but was not expecting to be hooked with the ship's grappling laser. Adam increased the charge until the occupants were electrocuted to death inside, then air-lifted the haul back in a Northerly direction.

Back inside the frigate, the sad remnants of what had been a two hundred strong army gathered around. The group was comprised of four Krogan, three Turians: one female and two males, three male Salarians, two of each gender of Humans and one Asari Commando.

"I _still_ say we should surrender," one of the Salarians peeped, clutching his maimed arm and trying to apply medi gel.

The Asari shook her head.

"That _manifestation_ has killed us down to the last, it's not after anything we have, it just wants us _gone_."

The female Turian also spoke up with scorn: "give yourself up and you might as well put your gun to your own head and save it the trouble."

"One – Soldier…" A Human tried to wrap his head around it. "What kind of arsenal is it _totting_? It's got more firepower then all of the Spectres_ combined_. Not even _they_ could have pulled this off without casualties…"

"You give yourself _far_ too much credit." Morek hacked through his partially sealed throat. "I fought this huntress at close quarters: she would be a deadly proposition even for the Spectres, I doubt any in this _Galaxy_ could take her..."

The Human male pirate scoffed, "how in _hell_ do you know that's _a woman_ under there?"

"Scent, she has the aroma of a female and of beings that none of us have or will encounter after today. Today, we will die a good death!" He wheezed.

"No!" Wept one of the women "Jesus, I don't want to die!"

"Don't act like we don't deserve this." The Asari said calmly "The last thing we can do is to accept our consequences with dignity, nothing more."

"She's _here_." Morek stated.

At that moment, the ceiling broke asunder with a flash and their destroyer dropped into the CIC with a resounding boom. Rising, Samus was surprised to see some of the mercs throw away their guns – in a final bid for life, they would rather give themselves up than face her. Not knowing whether to be gratified or disgusted, Samus noticed that her advanced translator module, (a gift from U-Mos), had been updated after recording and extrapolating enough background dialogue and speech patterns to form a filter exchange; she could now open a communiqué with the soon-to-be deceased survivors.

"You know why I'm here." She rumbled in Galactic Basic.

"Of course, you wish to cleanse us from the Galaxy." Morek intoned.

"Prepare yourselves then."

"Wait! If you have _any_ honour, you'll engage me and my brethren in unarmed combat without your weapon." Samus recognised the Krogan she had thought dead, a bulging skein of raw muscle stretched across the throat she had split from ear to ear.

"All of you are as good as dead. You've been here for little over two weeks. I can't wait for you to die naturally and believe it or not. I'd rather have the satisfaction of obliterating degenerates myself; I'll _gladly_ accept a_ worthy_ challenge." As she spoke, scans of every alien she had encountered filtered back into her database while she turned and looked at every individual in turn.

The Krogan encircled Samus; though wider in girth, none exceeded her in height. Everyone visibly tensed as she raised her right arm, but the cannon merely dissipated and reformed into a seamless vambrace and gauntlet. The onlookers gasped in amazement. Evaluating her opponents she noted: "cellular regeneration," indicating Morek's still-healing oesophagus.

Morek laughed.

"Not a fair fight, now?"

"For you."

Morek charged without consideration.

"I – AM – UNSTOPA - " Aran decapitated him with an awesome roundhouse kick, a pumping flow of orange blood and clear neural fluid was unstoppered, spouting into the air like a volcano; finishing the job she had started.

Samus continued her pivot, sweeping another's legs out from underneath him before dive flipping back and up. Her angled knee shattered the third's sternum on her ascent, she struck the ceiling feet first and cork-screwed downwards, her edged palm bi-secting his plated head.

Yelling from the weight of his two injuries, he collapsed to the floor while the fourth Krogan threw all his weight behind a right swing, Samus seized his fist, crushed it to powder, then drove her knee, shin and the ball of her foot in quick succession into his chest.

The tripartite blow knocked him back, his crumpled hearts and lungs drowning him in his own fluids. Spinning around, Samus allowed the Krogan she'd tripped to bear hug her and smash his skull into the Varia suit's helmet with a sickening head butt. Rolling with the blow, she executed a reverse-suplex and drove the dazed and flailing creature head first into the ground. The pile-driver popped his crenulated brain like an overly ripe melon.

The Hunter jack-knifed to her feet just as her last opponent seemed to shake off the pain and clambered unsteadily to his own clutching his mangled chest. Samus executed a twirling axe kick; his open crest wound was pulped into oblivion. Driving multiple shards of bone and plate through his cortex to embed themselves in the far wall.

Organic conductive fluid and orange gore steamed around the room. The bounty hunter sighed, she hadn't even broken a sweat. The others were dumb with shock at what they had witnessed.

"_Enough holding back_," she declared.

Charging a power bomb through amassing a nano-crystular fusion reaction took only two seconds. Unlimited power caused her suit rivulets to glow with thrumming energy. The doomed individuals tried to shield themselves from the collected brilliance. As the hum reached fever pitch Samus released a dome of streaming effulgent rays of irresistible heat. Everything in a thirty metre spherical radius was vaporized into atomic dust.

Myriad, distorting, waves of mirage warmth greeted the huntress and nothing more, she crouched in a glass crater, glittering, newly formed. A perfect globe shape melted into the frigate. Zero life signs. Jumping through the steam she alighted on both feet as gracefully as a jungle cat, the mist parting as the two gunships descended.

"They never learn." Samus uttered, priming her renewed arm cannon with a stacking diffusion beam setting using an ingrained finger movement pneumonic.

The coalesced orb of vibrating beam powers united as a whole, vanished down the barrel, then scorched the sky as it flung forward as a super missile. Samus was forced to steady her right arm because of the 5000 Newton recoil. Another projected command detonated the missile between the two gunships – the multi-powered ballistic expanded as an indefinable explosion, neither liquid nor gas. It simultaneously froze the chemical jets, overloaded guidance systems, dissolved the metals, ignited fuels and swatted them from the sky. The burning deluge struck the earth and erupted with torrential flames and concussive force, kicking up a huge dust cloud – silhouetted against the billowing hell, strode Samus Aran, the green power emitters on her suit and of her visor contrasting the orange inferno at her back.

Activating the command visor, she saw that Adam had likewise taken care of the other two gunships. Fiddling with the interface on the cannon she ordered the Corvette to air lift both the undamaged frigate and the large heavy cruiser. Checking the time, Samus noted that she still had forty five minutes before the sand storm reached the camp. Therefore any protective measures had to be shut down, in five leisurely minutes, Samus hacked the last two generators and disabled the mild kinetic shields made to isolate them from extreme weather. The route led her to the mass grave. She knelt at the lip of the trench, contemplating.

Looking at such an atrocity was not a new experience for the bounty hunter – despite her strong moral code, her abilities lay mostly in the art of taking life, always in the act of preserving it, Gray had taught her as much – but it was a shallow victory indeed when none were saved but merely avenged. Observing with a macabre eye, Samus saw all the different races she had met that day festering in the pit: Turian, Asari, Human, Salarian, Batarian, even one Krogan who must have been a freelancer hired to protect the cruiser's cargo.

Nothing proved more substantially than this – the plight of all the sentient races. We would destroy each other for our kind to dominate, even though we shared the same emotions of hate and love, empathy and bigotry, hope and despair. Relativistic _and_ absolutist philosophies came into play for Aran, as well as the cold, rational acumen of any who had seen such death and destruction.

In her youth, convictions and beliefs had almost blinded her – as admirable as such unshakeable faith was, at its core it was narrow-minded, flawed. Older and wiser, Samus knew in her heart and mind that an equilibrium between spirituality and logic, emotions and duty_ could_ be achieved – whatever the cynics and pessimists of the Universe had to say on the matter.

A whooshing sound jerked Aran out of her reverie, turning she grabbed the disc shaped object that had been spinning towards her back. Gatatog Darzul limped forward, battle ravaged and wielding a mass accelerator shotgun.

"That's from my dead crew, _cocksucker_!" The grenade detonated, blasting Samus away to sprawl on her front in the sand.

Slamming her palm into the ground she spun back to her feet and was met by an overclocked blast of suspended HE grains that staggered her, expending 20 energy units and keeping her off balance; otherwise doing no conceivable harm.

Darzul howled in rage while punctuating each blast with a shrieked word: "WHY. DON'T. YOU. _DIE_!" Upon the last two words he drew back his arm and hurled a biotic warp field into her chest. The lethal sub-atomic distortion attack parted over the Varia suit like a viscous liquid thanks to the gravity feature – believing that the warrior's armour was finally compromised, Darzul fired a carnage blast, only for Samus to neatly feint then dodge; the mashed ball of crackling explosive slug grains passed over her head and the shotgun beeped in complaint. It had reached maximum thermal capacitance.

Eyes dilating with fear, Darzul frantically pumped the weapon's lithium sink, hoping to vent the excess heat created by the recoil.

A single diffusion beam imploded into his nether regions.

"_ARRRRGGGHH_! SHIAGUR'S_ BLOOD_! _YOU BLEW MY_ _QUAD OFF_!"

Crumbling to the blood-soaked earth he writhed in shame more than agony. Samus surveyed him disinterestedly. Then proceeded to scan the area… Nothing.

The two hundred and thirteenth lay at her feet clutching the remains of his privates. She looked up at the sky, it was clear and blue – the unique continuous chime of the Corvette's engines greeted her; a tornado of grit swept up around the last two people alive on the planet as the Nova Corvette hovered above, clasping three ships – one twice as large as the golden hunter class IV which suspended it in its electromagnetic grapple.

Through a haze, the pirate leader saw the bizarre sight above his prone position and he also saw a… Human woman! Advance towards him, _she_ was the one who had defeated his army in a quarter of an hour? Her seemingly invulnerable exoskeleton had disappeared in motes of light, she wore a hexagonal patterned, navy and ribbed black infiltration suit, complete with a matching black combat harness that encircled above and under her breasts, on her right leg was a holster with a silver and black, wooden gripped hand gun. Two red alien sigils – one situated on her left hand the other on her ripped back glowed slightly.

Her features were of cold puzzlement and plain antipathy. Darzul's amber eyes met Aran's ocean blue ones.

"You _bitch_!" He goaded, "first you annihilate my crew, dismember my insult to the Genophage, and now you steal what _I've_ pillaged!" The woman drew her pistol casually and aimed between his eyes, causing Darzul's tirade to trail off in fright.

"What I do with this salvage is _no concern of yours_. In fact, you're _about_ to have no further concerns _at all_." Darzul tried to speak but for the plasma round that had blown a fist sized hole straight through his cranium.

As that final shot resounded over the compound, Samus holstered her gun then double jumped sixty feet to the still hovering ships and boarded her vessel through the underbelly lift. Turning the ship to the Northern hemisphere, the Nova Corvette flew its flight-path into the clouds.


	3. Extranet Espionage

**A/N: Did you know that the Reapers are heavily based on the Lovecraftian concept of the eldritch gods that exist beyond the Galaxy's horizon? The **Cthulhu Mythos (coined by August Derleth) revolved around 'The Ancients' elder beings that consider humanity, indeed ALL sentient life as bacterium, "incapable of understanding"(Sovereign) their greater existence. Mass Effect isn't the only game to personify this cosmic attitude. Any one played Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem on the GameCube? You're in for a treat! ** **

**Extranet Espionage**

Once again seated at the nucleus of her old life, Samus did not speak for a while, allowing Adam to chart their course to a safe haven. A refuge from the rest of the Galaxy that had failed its first inhabitants, but would now serve a new dual purpose. First and foremost, as a nexus of knowledge in an alien World, and second of all as a testament to the Chozo – who would never exist in any Universe until the end of time itself.

This fact was extremely sobering to Aran: she was the last, hybrid or not. It was vital that their legacy, their trust in the prophecy of light, _never_ fail. One day soon she would have to leave and rejoin the fledgling Human race.

However, the same could not be said for the trove of Chozo and Federation technology – those would _have_ to be contained. No one could ever discover this secret, not yet. For it was millennia ahead of anything out there in the Milky Way. Aran was almost certain of that.

Responsibility for power was something she had learned the hard way – some would wish to study, others to seize for their own designs, some may even see her as a messianic figure.

_No_. Being held up as a god was certainly not on her list for this lifetime.

Further study of the salvaged crafts – and updates from the research beacons – would fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

"_Then I'll have to fabricate a new identity, a new past and find some niche in society to combat the threat to come... I knew this wasn't going to be easy_." Aran lamented with a touch of irony. "_It seems my days of bounty hunting have finally come to a close…_"

Her train of thought was interrupted by Adam.

"My Lady, it's going to take at least two cycles for the full solar system scan, plus stealth scans of who knows how many settled systems could take hundreds of cycles. I've got no real data for an accurate estimate."

Shifting slightly in her seat, Samus chewed on the thought.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Adam. For now, I doubt that these multiple civilizations have explored more than _one percent_ of the Galaxy, what with their lack of warp drive or rift portals; we have an - _uncommon_ advantage."

"True, yet what good does that do us if you plan to leave without the Corvette? I'm assuming you didn't have me salvage these ships just so you could keep them as trophies."

"No, Adam." Aran replied. "I mean to join the Galactic community as the biggest sleeper agent in the history of sentient kind, a dimensional interloper, if you will – by the end of this month we'll have an information network which surpasses the combined military and intelligence services of _all_ the races; we have the means." Samus swept her arm across the dashboard, illuminating multiple screens of complex Chozo software coding: "_and_ we have the minds."

Adam sighed. "Even_ then_ – there's no guarantee that nano-crystular tech is compatible with their OSD's. I doubt that they even have portable ODS space. They'd have to rely on _stationary_ data warehouses – we can't filter so much extraneous information without drawing attention, especially when we have in our possession; _the_ most powerful supercomputer in the known Universe."

"Then I'll beat them at their _own_ game, using_ their_ systems – they shouldn't be _too_ difficult to control – especially with custom built self-perpetuating memes."

Aran began to study the building blocks of the computerized systems; it was like learning a new language but instead of route memorization, malleability was the nature of the experiment, as she moulded the norms into place through sheer technical expertise.

"Once our network is operating _beneath_ theirs, we can remain undetected while knowing what _they_ know. They'll be unwitting accomplices, supplying an alien with their own lore."

"Lady, there's far too much: you can't process the collected political, military and financial workings of so many manifold cultures." Adam said weakly.

"I don't _need_ to; the same rules don't _apply_ to this ocean. In our Inter-Galactic 'Community' the reaches of the Federation's Republic were insignificant compared to the fiefdoms of rogue space. I tracked lone individuals with nothing but a _name_ and a _description_ across _Galaxies_, billions of orbital platforms controlled by regional gangs, the twisted empires of slavery and persecution where the same laws never applied. All the while there was no UWW out there, Adam. Just connections with unsavoury characters and a sleazy holonet. I was as much an alien _out there_ as I am _here_. However, this Galaxy has isolated pockets, islands; the tight beam communications will be localized around hundreds of highly populated clusters, similar to the nation states on continents."

Excited, Adam carried on for her: "so all of their primary information would be top tiered, readily available for their analysts. Vulnerable to the same hacking techniques employed on local servers or gleaned by informers and brokers!"

"Yes, _exactly_," Samus continued eagerly, "if their tech is similar to the pirate ships then we'll know for certain that important Intel is confined to a solar system's network, at most a star cluster."

"How can you be sure now – when you haven't studied their drive cores in detail yet?"

"If this incarnation of the Milky Way had anything like a militarized Universal Wide Web software; I would have found a barren planet today. A high profile pirate attack would have drawn GF Special Forces within four cycles in a sparsely populated region. They were untouchable for over two weeks while they tortured and murdered the crew of that cruiser. This Galaxy is a fugitive's _dream_."

Still meticulously ordering the foreign data, Samus set one of the most important projects of her life aside as a mountain of gargantuan proportions loomed ahead.

"Penetrating scans detect several large caverns near the summit. I think we've found our sanctuary." Adam said cheerily.

Locating the entrance above the clouds was no difficult task. Entering with the suspended cargo – comparatively harder. The Chozo Defender was forced to take manual control while Adam gave her prompts from the ship's hull-mounted cameras. Eventually all four ships were lowered into the chamber, which was comprised of about a thousand square metres of floor space.

The three craft were arranged in a semi-circular pattern around the lime lighted Nova Corvette, facing the exit. Samus decided to draw up a plan while she awaited the return of the beacons. Her first priority was the in-depth examination of the alien vessels and their cargo.

First came the A-61 gunship – a mess of scorched machinery. After a moment's deliberation Samus began to disassemble the ship for raw materials. Never failing, the all-purpose arm cannon re-materialized into a plasma welder – working fast she took apart the hull and inner mechanisms, setting aside the latter for intricate scans with her left handed sigil. She needed no protection from the sparks and heat while she worked, for it was nothing compared to her childhood excursions into the magma flowing upper regions of Norfair on Zebes.

Meanwhile, she transported the heavy sheets of armour as easily as if they were made of polystyrene. Carrying them up the Nova Corvette's loading ramp and placing them in her workshop to be formed into further useful alloys. The limited industrial machinery Samus possessed was still breathtakingly advanced: what would take hours, if not days, took minutes; as the nano-foundries combined the ablative metals with an unending supply of micro-fabricated Jovian steel.

Setting the designs for the metallic construct into auto pilot, Samus continued to explore the other ships. The cruiser was not dissimilar to cargo vessels encountered in her own Universe except for the fact that the engine room was completely unfamiliar to Aran – it seemed as if artificial gravity and an archaic electrically charged exclusion field were generated through a type of elemental fusion.

Using raw radioactive metals in reactors was not an entirely safe process, even shipping the fuel in its unrefined form was not generally tolerated in Federation Space, except on the frontier where transports could be scuppered to prevent Pirates from acquiring more resources. Here however, in flight or on space stations the danger of reactor meltdowns was actually a possibility.

Afloraltite gel powered warp drives on the other hand wouldn't even react to direct weapons fire because of its replicating properties, allowing speeds to be charted from between systems to entire Galaxies and back without the supply of fuel running dry. Until she knew more about the substance powering the ship, it would not be prudent to tinker with a potentially _atomic_ reaction.

Next Samus inspected the ship's cargo. Food supplies for both dextro and levo-amino based life-forms made up a small percentage, but for the most part the cargo was comprised of advanced military and civilian hardware: omni tool and rifle components, hard suits, neural amplifiers and even crates of a dusty red substance that gave off minor waves of beta radiation; it seemed like some sort of heavily processed narcotic.

Upon listing the haul, she assessed that the frigate and the cruiser were both space-worthy before returning to the Nova Corvette and pursuing the intensive decryption of the networks. Hours later Samus had converged a planet's worth of deviating nodes into Adam's all-encompassing nexus of memory. It would take weeks – maybe even _months_ for her project to come online. For all the secrets of the multi-nationals to be in the palm of her hand…

What passed for sleep for her came thirty hours later. She only meditated on her quandaries for three.

A race as long-lived as the Chozo still spent every minute wisely.

Adam was still inserting the advanced memes into the complex when she awoke. Not wishing to disturb him Samus practiced her eclectic martial arts forms on the summit of the mountain, which took a five minute climb up the one hundred degree rock face to reach. Smoothly transitioning from balletic to economical styles, her limbs cut the wind's path with a swish, and as the sun finally rose two hours later there were fist-sized indentations in a twenty tonne granite boulder. Freely sweating now, Samus stepped straight up to the monolithic land form, placed her unmarked hand on it's granular surface then struck with a one inch punch. It shifted a full centimeter. The corners of Aran's mouth twitched and her astonishing eyes twinkled in the alien sun as she rejoiced in her physical impunity.

The morning workout had left metre long gouges on the peak from the stone's laborious shift. After ice showering and nutritionally balanced breakfasting back on the Nova Corvette, Aran was further pleased by the arrival of one of the beacons.

It's contents were astounding: the small star system was far beyond a wide swath of space known as the Terminus, which for all intents and purposes was relatively lawless, ruled by petty overlords and self-appointed monarchs. It felt like home already Aran observed wryly; her trade had honed her for these surroundings. The next revelation was less welcoming, the FTL distances that 'modern' star ships could reach limited them to near suns around one distinguishing orbital feature.

A perfectly maintained Star Gate, a _relay_ between another far off star unreachable by supposedly conventional means. Samus gazed at the alien workmanship; it stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the other suspension technology. She did not even have to _see_ the most advanced technological heights of these societies, it was impossible to reconcile the two. These seamless, rotating, enormous channels had opened up the Galaxy, but there was something inherently sinister about these sterile, clean portals. They did not coincide with their lesser miniaturized forebears into the scientific realm. A pre-cognitive shudder surprised her but she quickly mastered herself. Those entrances had not been crafted by Human hands; or any hands for that matter.

A huge piece of the conspiracy was staring right back at her – but by the ghosts of her families – she could not fathom what... Not yet...

On the brighter, less conspiratorial side, Adam delivered further unexpected news later that afternoon, while Samus was inventorying some of the alien tech for her own personal use.

"You're never going to guess what breakthrough we've just had!" Adam exclaimed. Samus looked up from the Savant MK. X omni tool she was configuring on her wrist; when she didn't answer Adam took the prompt to carry on. "The beacons have sent _untraceable_ beamed connections through the relay. Since it takes seconds to rebound the signals off the relay's comm buoys we'll have _every_ primary system mapped by the end of the day! I can even establish an up-link to their equivalent of the UWW – they call it _the extranet_."

Samus felt like Ridley's head had been presented to her to be mounted on her wall.

"That's _fantastic_ news, Adam. Lets see what we can find... I'm nearly finished with this - holo-device." Making a few more adjustments Samus made the psionic connection with the atom sized nano-crystular module, which had been microscopically inserted into a nerve in the ship's med-lab. The device lit up with a warm glow and was quickly jail broken by the proprietary Chozo software of Aran's own creation; it would never need a replacement power cell while _her own_ powerful electric current kept it operational.

"So, which broadband company should we fork over to?" Samus inquired politely as the programs booted up in quick succession.

Adam started in a surly tone; "well… there's not really any need with - "

"I'm kidding for God's sake, my faith has never wavered in _you_, Adam… _Much_." She appended so that he couldn't hear.

"There, a ten years worth parcel of unlimited extranet access priced at the fair market value of _600 000 Galactic Credits_, all for the _exceptional price_ of being absolutely free." Adam retorted grumpily.

"No need to be angry or irate with me, _Commander Malkovich_, it was only a joke." Aran shot back defiantly. The neat little devices reminded her of the holo projectors built into military or engineering armoured RIG's as she eagerly read up on the Galactic societies and their histories.

Adam was left to ponder for about a minute before finally realising

"Was that a pun on the acronym of AI, My Lady!" He spluttered indignantly.

"I don't know _what_ you're on about, top-tier publicly available knowledge is one thing, but you'd better get back to work inputting those memes so I can get my hands on those assorted _confidential_ files." She dismissed him as she switched the info to a bank of recently set up computer terminals with an ambivalent thumbs up. Adam would have shook his head good-naturedly - if he had one.

In the week that followed many plans of the huntress came to fruition. Using her eidetic memory, the wealth of knowledge pulled from the extranet was memorized. Pages upon pages of data tomes devoured from subjects ranging from Citadel Council politics to the Turian Hierarchy's military machinations.

Samus also strove to become proficient with the comparatively unstable drive cores. Identifying the element as a dark matter excluder dubbed by the civilizations of the Galaxy as 'eezo'. Although nowhere _near_ as mutagenic as Phazon, eezo had a similar (less potent) anti-Newtonian affect; allowing ships to float within a mass reducing bubble colloquially called a 'mass effect' field; allowing for limited space flight with accompanying hellium-3 anti-proton fuel sources powering such drives.

Yet the drive had it's limitations as well. FTL speeds could only be maintained as long as motive energy from a ship's chemical rockets propelled it through the stars. Her earlier hypothesis of the field being statically charged was a severe dampening factor as well. The vessels had to dump the accumulated electronic charge into the magnetosphere of gas giants or even specialized discharging stations in space. Otherwise the electricity could ground into the interior of the ship; the results would not be pretty for man or machine.

However it was a far shot of the Dark Ages and Samus quickly adapted to the alien hardware, sometimes incorporating Chozo software to make up for its shortcomings. The omni tool especially, which was linked to the Chozo bio-tech network via relays through Aran's nervous system. This was another benefit of Zebesian physiology – the age-old sages of the bird-like race had held the ability to manipulate spiritual energy through their unique nerve-ways, often for healing purposes. Through this ability Samus was able to activate the Varia suit from great distances and control it's functions through brain waves or physical pneumonics. It was the ultimate form of isomorphic protection; a defence that carried over to the top market omni tool Samus had fused to her right wrist.

Further developments included the fortification of the cavern with home-made hanger doors, smelted from the Corvette's nano-foundry, then assembled individually and put into place by the grappling crane capabilities of the golden vessel.

Also thoughtful of the financial situation, Samus questioned Adam on the matter of money. A few quick sub-routines through the Volus Unified Banking Act facilitated all of the bounty hunter's accumulated wealth into the credit network. Samus inquired into the exchange rate of yire per credit – then whistled as she saw the number of digits. Upon spiking the identification trace data, Samus sat back; feeling remarkably secure.

The area that held her attention for the following weeks though, were the varied avenues of technology that not even she had considered – including: the applications for accelerator weaponry, omni tool attack procedures, medi gel infusions and most fascinating of all – biotic training.

Scans of the Asari and Krogan mercs had revealed eezo nodes in their nerves, which in turn allowed the user to manipulate dark matter fields through a spinal implant – usually located at the base of the skull. The only difference was that the Asari were _natural_ biotic users thanks to their home planet being rich with the stuff, whilst the Krogan underwent a dangerous surgery to instil the radioactive substance into and along the membrane of their own redundant nervous systems. After careful consideration Aran decided that she would undergo the operation. Much to Adam's horror.

"Are you _insane_, Samus! You could develop cancerous tumours and _die!_ And for what?!"

The huntress mutely finished synthesizing the eezo concoction, which glowed ominously, having been removed from numerous cores and refined with Chozo biotechnology; before inputting commands into the med-lab's computer.

"I've told you _already_, old friend. My body _should_ resist the radiation's negative effects. Furthermore, since I've been manipulating gluino energy for a _very_ long time – biotic fields will be _a breeze_; plus the adaptation process will be free of complications when you consider my track record."

Samus moved to lie in a long gurney chair at the centre of the apparatus, after taking off her jacket and rolling up both sleeves of her shirt.

But Adam was not finished.

"What about the beta waves? Metroid cells _multiply_ upon irradiation. Now that you're a third Metroid there could be issues with malignant growths – or – or" he fumbled for something to say: "growing another eye!" Samus laughed right from the belly.

"Adam, I k_now_ you've been working hard on the shadow system and all, but _relax!_ The tests I ran proved that my genetic code would be scrambled on a basic level by the radiation. I'm already congenitally sterile because of Gray Voice's DNA transfusion when I was only three for Pete's sake; my patrimonial data strips, particularly now that they've been long combined with the Metroid vaccine's own sporogenous attributes _ensure_ I absorb beneficial alleles like a sponge. My _entire bar code_ is in a state of _perpetual flux_, the only negative effect it will have; is that my genetic information will be different _every_ time it's shed. Put that in your pipe and smoke it."

Stunned, Adam didn't answer as Samus planted a wireless electrode onto her arm and lay in the chair, placing both hands into palm scanners and activating the white chrome machinery which closed around her forearms. Finally regaining his voice he stammered:

"So – so you _actually planned_ for that result...? If anyone got samples of your blood, they won't be able to identify it through forensics..."

"_Or_ study it for cloning, when the deoxyribonucleic acids parts company with me they'll dissolve to less than dust in minutes, not in the least bit genetically viable for procreation."

"Then that means I don't have to alter the medical files anyone will keep on you?" Adam piped up hopefully.

"Of course you will, we don't want anyone getting _suspicious_ now, do we? Records remain engraved in stone, while any who take a closer look will think they've made the worst medical blunder of their entire career." Samus assured him with a gleam in her eye.

"Hang on." Adam ventured, waspishly. "Am I supposed to supervise _all_ your medical catastrophes while you're off saving the Galaxy from who knows what?"

"Only in the most _severe_ case, observation only for the time being – which shouldn't be too hard when I'm connected to the system. If the worst comes to pass... I trust that you'll be able to recover me and hope that my brain isn't too far gone to undergo complete bio-synthetic resuscitation. Better work on my hibernation trances!"

"Thank you, my lady. You've given this old war dog some small comfort... Wait, that BSR process drove the re-animated Ridley completely mad, didn't it?"

"Huh, only because he was _already_ brain dead, they implanted him with control chips and kept him as an 'enforcer', a brainwashed attack dog with bestial intelligence. The only person he recognised in the recesses of his mind was _me_. His mortal enemy…"

Bracingly, Samus turned back to matter at hand.

"Anyway, enough pontificating. This operation is much less risky than the others, Father Brain! Especially with my secret weapon..."

Adam began to tune the apparatus into place, then slotted in a tube of yellowy, glutinous gel opposite the eezo potion.

"Medi gel right? The genetically modified bio-plasam created by Earth's Sirta Foundation?"

"The _very_ _same_. Injecting a heavy dose will stabilize even the worst open wounds but in huge measures it'll cause anaphylactic shock – not in _my_ case, however. Through enforced circulation in the bloodstream the bio-plasam will propagate its effects continually for the foreseeable future."

"You mean you'll regenerate tissue damage instantly?" Said Adam in an awed voice.

"Within seconds definitely, my constitution will be able to prevent an OD trip and it has the added benefit of counter-acting the massive amount of pain I'm about to endure."

"What? Why don't you go under anaesthetic? What am I saying – with the life _you_ lead I'm surprised I haven't noticed your penchant for _masochism_."

"And I'm surprised you know of any anaesthetising drug that can put _me_ out." Aran snapped, as with a whirring sound the operation began.

Micro-bores sliced into her subcutaneous wires and pumped tiny measures of element zero into mathematically determined nodules of her distinctive neural sensation was excruciating, as if liquid fire (which in effect it was) permeated the sensory agony manifested itself as a grim snarl on Aran's features, while her back arched instinctively because of the radioactive congealing agent rushing down her spinal cord after suffusing up her arms.

At the same time medi gel was pumped into her carotid artery, diffusing through her blood and becoming as central to her identity as the other biological essences that the Chozo and Metroid abilities had assimilated. Immediately the feeling of burning receded as the wonder drug took affect. Conversely, the Hunter's heart muscles were pushed into overdrive by natural bodily rejection. The palpitations were intense enough to kill any but the strongest individuals – for someone who had survived and beaten both Phazon Corruption and X Parasite Infestation; the process was uncomfortable at worst.

Finally, a neural monitor slid between the vertebrae at the base of Aran's neck where the eezo nodes converged, then capped it with a self-constructed biotic amplifier. Aran had studied their blue prints and replicated a nano-scopic equivalent of the pirated Armali hardware, so that her amp could not be scanned and confiscated unless through more surgery.

"Operation complete." Adam confirmed. "100% acceptance of both eezo nodes and medi gel transfusion."

Slowly, Samus sat up from the gurney, flexing both hands experimentally and cricked her neck from side to side. The small puncture wounds had sealed themselves of their own accord.

"Maybe you should rest before you try – "

Samus thrust out a palm, emulating a kinesis attack while focusing with pre-natural lucidity. A shimmering wave of dark energy emulated from Aran's hand, powerful enough to plaster anyone within eight metres of each other against the wall. Instead it bonged against the white surface harmlessly and within three seconds the specific eezo nodes required to fire the field had re-aligned with internal electric power.

Her mind abuzz with possibilities: Samus had to reign in her inner ecstasy, she had found a radically different application to a skill she had trained in all her life. Passive focal meditation, the brain's ability to concentrate without directed thought was what kept the Varia suit functioning for prolonged exploration. The theory still stood in practice with biotic acclimation!

Over the next few days Samus refined her various biotic techniques: Telekinesis, distortion, increasing and decreasing gravitonic mass and most notably, an impermeable, invisible barrier that could soak up a finite amount of force before being reset by a mere thought. The only mitigating factor was cool down – from comparative extranet accounts Samus knew that her skills outstripped the near majority of all other biotic users. Experimental neural hacks might lessen cool down but for the time being, she was content with the magnitude and fine-tuned control of her new-found powers.

Two more complications that were foreseen by Aran had been solved by her psionic proficiency. Her bludgeoning strength could now be effectively disguised through biotically assisted blows and her distinctive nervous system was indistinguishable from a heavily conditioned biotic's when placed under scrutiny.

Everything was falling into place, soon Samus would leave this world to seek the unknown threat inextricably linked to the Mass Relays. A few final matters confronted her before this step could be taken, though. First she prepared her personal side arms, which included readjustments to the Paralyzer pistol for an accelerator module and upgrade slots. Though the rarefied Denzium alloy slide and Zebesian Cyrilic wood carved hand grip could be masked, the same could not be said for the plasma whip / blade extension. With some regret, Samus disabled both functions, leaving the knuckle duster switch intact; it helped to have an indestructible iron glove attachment.

Now that protection was sorted, Aran made the final checks for the Malkovich shadow system and booted the programme straight to her omni tool. Sure enough, the software could channel any information through Adam's assorted proxy servers from all over the Galaxy's information hubs straight back to Samus Aran.

It was also vitally important to falsify a convincing but non-confirmable identity and back story for the intrepid bounty hunter. One that could not be refuted due to similarities with her own life experience. She searched for families that had recently been struck by tragedy. The search did not take long. Four years ago, in the year 2170 BCE, the human colony world of Mindoir had been attacked by Batarian slavers intent on halting humanity's encroachment on the Attican Traverse. The settlement had been obliterated and only a handful of half-dead teenagers and children had avoided enslavement in the chaos; scanning the list of potentials, Aran saw that many had died in rehabilitation. In fact the whole affair had been such a PR nightmare for the Systems Alliance that they had sealed all files regarding the incident.

"_Bureaucrats_." She muttered – as if regarding a particularly unreliable piece of machinery that should be torn out; at least getting rid of data that already had a lid on it would be child's play. All that remained was finding a suitable candidate to reinvent herself as.

Within a few minutes one such family had become apparent, after tracing their genealogy Samus was gratified to see that their line had ended on Mindoir – childless. Scott and Lauren Shepard had both been only children who had left Citadel Space for the freedom and lack of stifling oversight enforced on larger colonies. The trade-off was the danger of raiders; the Alliance could not scramble ships fast enough to stop such an attack and it was too far out to warrant anything but a token garrison.

The more she looked at the profile the more it appealed; no one could disprove conflicting information from a closed case, especially when it could be so easily edited. An added bonus was the stark comparison between her own terrible past. If she was ever questioned about Mindoir it would not be too hard to omit the name of K-2L, Ridley – and her own parents, Virginia and Rodney Aran who had both sacrificed themselves for their only daughter.

It was a surprisingly easy adaptation, considering the poignancy of the act. A strange, unidentifiable feeling clenched her deep in her gut when she examined the sealed medical records from Mindoir's clinic. Lauren and Scott had come to Mindoir in 2150 and had been unsuccessfully trying to conceive a child.

However, on April 11th 2154 they had given birth to a baby boy: John Shepard, who'd only lived for a week before dying – the Shepard's had not believed in gene therapy to correct their issues.

Slowly but surely Samus began to delete and replace the information, while Adam began falsifying her identification as Aran Shepard: forging social security, Systems Alliance citizenship registration, secure banking accounts, passports and numerous other licenses – all the vital statistics were input into the system, into multiple registries and saved in credential format onto Aran's Savant omni tool.

Last but not least, came the birth certificate; according to the current date Aran Shepard had turned 20 years of age just a month ago. Bemusedly, Samus noted that she herself had no real inkling of her _true_ age; the passage of years had held no meaning for her second family, they could subsist for centuries. Living in the moment, as did she.

Even having never celebrated her birthday, she was still old enough to know what death truly looked like and to have overcome all her demons and fears. A shatter point splintered into being before her eyes.

"_One month ago…_"

With a sharp intake of breath Samus quickly checked the time cycle, today was the 9th of May. Exactly four weeks ago today she had entered the alternate Universe through a rip in the infinity void; that day had been April 11th 2174.


	4. Integration and Assimilation

**A/N: Well boys and girls, I'll be updating at _least_ every Friday until the first volume is finished. Expect a new "Did you know?" or a pertinent quotation at the beginning of nearly _every_ new chapter! Oh... yes... I've got one. Did you know that Samus suffers from an acute case of PTSD? Although clearly desensitized to violence, our protagonist has unusual emotional range and a high regard for empathy. On the other hand, she can rebound to nearly sociopathic extremes when pursuing her goals. This inconsistency can be put down to the trauma of her families demises; above all she is a pragmatic evaluator, a firm believer of instrumentalism. In other words:**

_"Nothing is true, everything is permitted." _

_(Al Mualim)_

**Integration and Assimilation**

Samus Aran, or Aran Shepard as she would come to be known at large by the rest of the Galaxy; was not one to believe in coincidence. Indeed, all the events that had occurred so many months ago had occurred in a way to draw the ultimate warrior to this place and time; now, like any tactician, this was the time to prepare, observe and gather allies in her fight. A fight that was drawing ever closer...

By the 20th May 2174 Shepard was ready. The frigate had been loaded with supplies, as well as cargo from the freighter to barter with if need be. Aran wore her navy zero suit with a hooded black poncho that concealed the Paralyzer pistol on her right hip. She was also armed with five isomorphic secured grenades clipped to the back of her belt, her biotic abilities and most crucially the Savant omni tool.

The handy wrist device not only doubled as a PC and offensive weapon but as an indispensable means for infiltration. Samus had configured a passive disruption signal that scrambled scanners and monitoring devices within 10 metres of her, coupled with brute force and subterfuge hacking protocols.

Crossing her arms after inputting co-ordinates into the navigation-computer – Aran admired the invisible seam running from the poncho's collar down to the left sleeve. Being composed of the same unstable molecules as the zero suit the garment could be rearranged or cast off in an instant, it would even mend itself from wears and tears.

With a deep rumble, the Jovian steel blast doors began to slide open as the eezo core hummed into life. Samus had no need for long goodbyes with Adam; they had both long been at peace with each other and every time she searched the extranet, or bypassed firewalls in secure systems, she knew he was there, at the heart of every network in the Galaxy...

Both Samus and Adam had the only copies of co-ordinates for what they had dubbed the 'Daiban relay.' She had even allowed Adam remote control of both the freighter and the Nova Corvette in case their precautions proved to be fruitless and someone wondered upon the system. As the frigate left the atmosphere of the uncharted World and headed for the relay at FTL speed, Samus considered her next move; there was only enough star-ship petrol to reach the aptly named _Omega space station_, where the Sahrabarik Nebula's primary relay was situated.

Yet that was not the only reason for her to stop at the Terminus's most infamous hive of villainy. The Daiban relay and it's counterpart linked to the edges of the cluster's boundaries, so there was very little chance of anyone finding the relay unless you had it's pin-pointed location. In the ships logs Aran had discovered that the Krogan pirate leader Gatatog Darzul had been given the co-ordinates by a Turian crime lord, Zavek Qaitus. Their aim had been to lay low after capturing supplies from the Pirate Queen herself, Aria T'Loak.

Samus could not afford any loose ends; Qaitus would in all likelihood have a copy of the relay's co-ordinates in his possession to ensure his partner wouldn't betray him. Too bad for him, something much more terrible than a Krogan Battlemaster was now on his tracks.

In the presence of the small ship the cigar-shaped relay began to pulsate as the dark matter corridor expanded into life.

"Calculating transit mass and destination." Aran declared to herself, giving the gargantuan alien technology a pointed stare through the view-port. According to numerous archaeological theses, the relays were built by the Protheans who had vanished fifty thousand years ago, but the beacon scans had returned with much more compelling research. They were indeterminably old, for at least ten billion years they had remained, watching, waiting...

A snap-second later the frigate had reappeared scores of light years away and the twin relay deactivated; it's two rings smoothly coming to a halt. Aran then set a course for Omega.

Ten hours later, Aran exited FTL speeds as she passed the asteroid belt and caught sight of the sprawl before her. It was a mess of a city, extending downwards from underneath an ancient asteroid, outlined in a garish crimson light; the very coloured essence of seediness. Surprisingly, there were no hails or automated docking command procedures transmitted to the frigate – even the most lawless orbital platforms had had some form of Feudal security that maintained records of travelers.

But here that must have simply been a wasted process; people came here to escape, to forget, to disappear.

"_How appropriate_." Samus mused; nearing the dilapidated metropolis she brought the vessel in to land at a public docking bay and shut the engines down. She sat for almost a full five seconds, thinking. The entire system was under the De Facto leadership of the Asari criminal syndicate known as _Afterlife_. Their leader was an astute businesswoman: calculating, money-oriented, a power-monger. Aran had encountered many in her line of business, worked for a few, dismantled even more. However she was certain Aria would be _very_ interested in her proposition.

Aran sealed the frigate with a 51 200 bit encryption, written in archaic Chozodian characters. If any could hack into her ship then they _deserved_ to steal it. Pulling up the hood of her poncho to hide her arresting visage in the gloomy streets, she set off at a leisurely gait.

The squalor would be appalling if Samus had not witnessed similar states of poverty all throughout the Universe, her knee-height heavy combat boots tramped through the sodden streets, navigating between piles of refuse – towards the bustling centre of the city where the similarly named Afterlife night club was situated.

To her amusement she noticed a gang of six tailing her, it seemed they went for those trying to remain inconspicuous rather than the aggressive type; playing along, she stole a nervous glance over her shoulder, then stumbled into a side alley.

Hearing their mocking jeers and cat-calls as they believed they had trapped their target in a dead end, they jostled forward to the entrance-way. It was not a pretty sight, they were a motley collection of thuggish Batarians, Turians and even one large Vorcha, who was running his iron shank between his filed teeth, they turned the corner.

The alleyway was empty.

Putting aside subtlety, Samus fell from where she had wedged herself above them using an isometrics split jump. Bringing both fists down on one's head and her boot-clad shin on the spine of another – two wet crunches and both dropped like sacks. Pinned between the high buildings, the others scrambled desperately back as the Hunter rolled off and launched herself at them; a rippling warp punch caved in one's ribcage then continued as she caught another's ham-fisted blow on her right forearm. Her clenched fist turned into an spear-hand which punctured the ocular nerve and entered his brain.

Revolving, her right triceps smashed into the outstretched arm of the Vorcha, who had been intent on planting his knife in her back – his grisly elbow was dislocated with a harsh crack. Continuing the perfect recycling of motion, Aran yanked his crooked arm around and stabbed him through the ear with his own shiv, causing instant death. The last vagabond tore a pistol from inside his coat – the huntress slapped it aside disdainfully, causing it to go off as it clattered down the filthy road; a snap kick clipped him under the chin and he toppled over through the air, arms splayed, his neck bent at an obscene angle.

As the last corpse thudded to the permacrete pavement Samus straightened her poncho and biotically scuffed the many types of blood off her clothes before continuing on her way – as if the deviation had been a part of her plan all along.

Upon reaching the central square of the station (and leaving a trail of beaten or dead muggers in her wake.) Samus looked up at the towering Afterlife club. Resplendent in animated holo images thirty foot high, mostly of scantily clad Asari pole dancers gyrating unabashedly or advertisements for alcoholic beverages like: (ELASA: Sweet ecstasy of the azure isles!)

Ahead was a _long_ queue – composed of those desperately trying to get into the party scene, a huge gorilla-like alien known as an Elcor seemed to be the official doorman of the club and no one questioned him when he – inevitably, turned them away, flexing his tree trunk arms threateningly. Behind him some snappily-dressed VIP guests marched forward, flashed the Krogan and Batarian bouncers an omni tool and were promptly ushered in.

Though her face and figure were camouflaged, Aran Shepard projected an unyielding confidence as she embarked past the petty crowd, sunk in mediocrity. Unlike the stooped masses she was straight-backed and tall; the bouncers were somewhat affronted and for a moment it seemed they would let the hooded stranger through without incident. Then, one burly Batarian barred her way.

"No pass, no entrance. _Human_." He leered down at her, or at least he would have – if she hadn't been looking him straight in the lower set of eyes. Aran deliberately tilted her head to the right; in the Batarian social caste this movement indicated that she believed herself superior to the one facing her. The Batarian looked livid but found himself unable to out-stare Aran's stern gaze. When she spoke perfectly in his harsh, guttural language without electronic translation he was even more humiliated.

{"I'm going in, don't try to stop me. Here, for your monetary troubles."} She flicked a 5000 credit chip into his hand. He was fuming at her aspersions towards his poverty but he grudgingly allowed her access after checking the chip wasn't counterfeit.

Gaudy neon fire effects lit the inner passage leading to the centre of the club, which was also lined with booths where the assorted alien races drank, gambled, snorted red sand and even partook in pleasurable company in plain sight. Shepard was glad she had become multi-lingual in the Galaxy's many dialects before leaving; it engendered a baseline level of trust and unity; even with those who you wouldn't normally get along with. And since she had grown up knowing Basic, Chozodian and many other languages, her status had _always_ been that of an omniglot.

Passing along the dens of depravity, Shepard entered the heart of Omega. It was like an arena, ringed with balconies and lit with flaming torches. Ugly red lights saturated the crowds. On an upraised dais there was a harem of Asari strippers dancing energetically. Blaring techno trance music enthralled the patrons who were excessively raucous as they had lap dances performed for them or consumed copious amounts of liquor.

Discreetly, Aran bolstered a biotic barrier around her to part the masses and headed for the 'royal box', where Aria T'Loak herself reclined on a leather sofa with all the ceremony of it being a throne,_ presiding_ over the people below.

Reaching the stairs – she noticed several guards surreptitiously scanning her with their own omni tools, the jamming signal seemed to be working though because they let her ascend unchallenged. At the top of the stairs, however, one bodyguard (an expansive Krogan) started to place a three-fingered hand on her shoulder to hold her back.

"Touch me, and that hand will never touch anything again." She warned in an emotionless voice. The Krogan didn't listen, grinning like a moron he grasped her shoulder to push her away. He never got the chance, Aran pinched his arm with all five digits. The effect was astonishing: his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he quaked as if from extreme cold. Three seconds later she released her grip and his legs gave way, pitching head first down the steps to land flat on his face.

Terror gripped the others, who had just drawn their guns – having been transfixed by the spectacle. Aria threw out a hand, signalling them to stand down, an expression of shrewd admiration on her tattooed face.

"Very impressive trick, take a seat!" She laughed as the stranger sat and rested her ankle on her right knee, her hands in her lap. "Of course its pointless to disguise yourself." She continued in Galactic Basic, gesturing at Aran's hood that obscured her features. "My agents will find out _everything_ about you during your stay here. I do like to keep an eye on _interesting_ people."

Samus smiled coldly.

"You'll have to contend with disappointment Ms. T'Loak. I highly doubt any of your men could find their dicks while jerking off, let alone discover a snippet of information on me." Aria reciprocated with a winter glare that would have struck fear into anyone else. Aran's answering expression was not visible.

"As luck would have it though, I can tell you of my purpose here, and it involves you."

Aria's eyes flashed menacingly.

"Really? Are you here to - _assassinate_ me? You'll never get out of here alive, even if you _did_ take me out," she snarled.

Aran sat impassively, turning her head to look out at the dancing mob below; her hands came up slowly to form a steeple – she did not want to provoke her host with a sudden movement.

Unused to being ignored, Aria glowered at her and continued: "what did you do to Orgun? Fast-acting toxins? A reave field?"

"Neither, he's not dead, merely in a self-induced coma because of a loss of vital energies. I am not someone to be trifled with, Pirate Queen."

"I see, well you've certainly _got_ my attention. What do you want from my organization, _mysterious stranger_?"

"A clean data pad and an open ear to my proposal."

"Done."

Her retinue visibly relaxed; Samus even noticed Aria's Asari handmaidens lower their barriers slightly, due to small electrical sparks jumping to the metal balcony. A Salarian quickly brought her a blank data pad and Aran swept several holo documents onto the pad from her omni tool then handed it to Aria. Engrossed as Aria was with the contents, Samus ventured an explanation while she read.

"First and foremost, that shipping manifest relates to cargo that was stolen from you approximately 42 days ago, correct?"

"Of course, you wouldn't be here if it were otherwise," Aria snapped back – still reading intently. Samus continued after a moment's pause.

"The transcript beneath proves that I have _acquisitioned_ a third of said cargo from the raiders in question; said cargo is currently residing in my ship in the local docking bay."

It was clear that Aria had never conducted a stranger business deal than this before; she glared daggers where the Human's eyes were located under that infernal hood.

"How in the name of _the Goddess_ did you take this haul back from their war party? Their force must have numbered in the _hundreds_ to hijack my freighter. Who are you working for? Which merc group wants to muscle in again?"

Samus answered calmly, "I work for myself. I operate alone. There's no-one to fear but me, _Pirate Queen_."

Aria bristled with indignation.

"I've met and killed your type before. No matter how _skilled_ you think are, you can't kill _all_ of us. Tell me _you_r part of this deal!" The entourage brandished their weapons. Aran displayed no trace of fear at this show of force.

"You're so clever, fill in the pieces yourself. Or do you need your _lackeys_ to do that for you?"

Aria looked positively murderous now - but she didn't rise to the hooded woman's bait; she continued to peruse the holo documents.

"The shipment was _separated_, 2/3rds went to an unknown backer…You must have been an accomplice – now a turncoat, attempting to buy your way back into my good graces..."

"If that were true_ why_ would I come here? I'd keep the red sand and illegal weapons tech for myself and retire in luxury, there's no shortage of buyers in the Terminus. Face it, your logic is flawed. And my methods are none of your concern."

"Yes, they _are_ you stupid woman! I have no gauge for your motives or your intentions for giving me this information. For all I know you could be leading my men into a trap. _Prove_ to me you're not a traitor or we'll deal with you right here, right now!"

Samus reached into a hidden pocket and drew out a shiny black shard of bone plate with carved markings on it. She proffered it to the nearest Batarian bodyguard. He took it gingerly and began to scan it – his pallor turned a sickly green.

"What is it?" Aria demanded of him.

"It's - Darzul, or at least... a piece of him," he said hoarsely.

Aria took a moment to recover her composure, then she rounded on the stranger. "Darzul led the raid on my freighter? _Impossible_! He was one of _my_ men!"

"When I killed him I took his frigate, the ship's logs confirm who he was double-dealing with." Samus stretched out her legs and draped her arm on the top lip of the sofa, seemingly at ease. Aria flicked to the last document on the data pad, looked at it closely; then she snapped the pad in half, her face a mask of rage.

"My people will cross-reference this while you let them into your ship." Aria stated; it was not a request. Samus inclined her head, then transmitted an electronic key to a guard; it had inbuilt redundancy for an hour's use, enough time for them to remove the cargo but not for them to even come close to hacking the navigation-computer.

"You'll remain here as insurance, _my dear_," spoke Aria in a deadly whisper. "I'd _hate_ for you to get your hopes up only to have them quashed." Then she laughed, though not unkindly. "This reminds me a bit of my own underhanded dealings, playing off sides against each other while you remain safe, a voice of neutrality. You know how to play this game of ours, don't you?"

"I've had some experience, yes." Aran's voice remained without any inflection that Aria could detect and her physical stance betrayed no tells, much to the Asari's veiled frustration.

This was the most danger Aran had been in since entering the alternate Universe. She had given the Pirate Queen the correspondence between Gatatog Darzul and Zavek Qaitus; Aria would wish to deal with the leak herself. Under no circumstances could Shepard allow this; what if Afterlife discovered the Daiban Relay's co-ordinates, or wrung them out of Qaitus under torture? She _had_ to reach him first.

"I can't thank you enough for giving me the identity of the mole, he'll suffer beyond _imagining_ for the loss he's incurred. Full credit goes to you for finishing that stupid great lizard for me. Was his end, painful?" She leaned forward expectantly to hear her answer.

"Not really, though I did castrate him beforehand."

Aria cackled maliciously, "first _class_! You deserve drinks on the house for services rendered. Oh and don't worry, you'll get your _due_ in time."

While the two women waited for the shipment to be confirmed as the one stolen, Aria invited her new business partner to a private booth. Samus decided to ply a few careful questions to Aria.

"This Turian who's involved, Zavek Qaitus. Is he an Omega based crime lord – a heavy-hitter?"

"Yes, he resides in the Toshi district, out of one of the pre-fab foundries; the one swarming with hired muscle I'd assume." She looked contemptuous.

"Never dreamed he'd have the guts to betray me, I'll have to take the _clean up_ slowly, can't afford any leaks at this time or he'll flee the station."

Alarm bells went off in Aran's head. Aria was being particularly blasé about giving crucial information to someone who could be an informant for Qaitus; she obviously thought that the outsider wouldn't leave Afterlife except to join it's namesake.

Two thin-necked glasses of pink brandy arrived, carried on a tray by a handmaiden. Aria took one and passed the other to her guest, making it clear that the beverage couldn't be refused. Samus lifted her head as she raised the drink to her sculpted lips, which had been thrown into relief from a strip of flickering light. Aria had already sipped from her glass – now she watched the stranger with barely disguised gratification.

Inhaling the drink's fragrance, Aran could smell subtle hints of a powerful tranquilizer opiate; it seemed Aria wanted to conduct an intensive interrogation instead of outright poisoning her then and there.

"_She's in for an unpleasant surprise_." Aran thought grimly – having been brought up in the spore soaked jungles of Brinstar any knock-out drug was as palatable as water. She threw back the brandy in one measured draught and let out a slaked sigh as the toxins were burnt out of her system within a few seconds.

Aria's look of triumph turned to one of horror as Samus swirled her glass nonchalantly, evidently the drug was _supposed_ to take instant effect. Extending one finger from the rim of her glass in Aria's direction, an invisible one-way stasis field entrapped the CEO of Omega; this biotic discipline required intense concentration to maintain, but for Samus Aran, it was just like old times.

"Before you shout for your men to _save you_, listen well. I could _quite easily_ kill you for your insolence, fortunately, I have no _need_."

Aria's eyes flicked back and forth, popping with rage; she still sat holding her drink, jaw clenched, looking quite ridiculous in her frozen upright position.

"Qaitus is the one I want and you do _not_ want me as your enemy, Pirate Queen. You can only make gains by aiding me and have everything to lose by refusing me – make your choice."

Visibly straining against the field with all her strength, Aria did not seem to be co-operating. Carefully, Aran relaxed the stasis field ever so slightly, allowing her to speak:

"I'm _not_ going to beg for mercy, you bitch! Kill me _now_."

"Give me two hours alone in his hideout, free of Afterlife's interference. I'll pacify his forces and deal with Zavek. You can take the rest of the stolen shipment and the rep for the fall of an ignoble ally, while I leave Omega with what I came for."

The internal struggle was painfully self-evident to Samus. Aria's business acumen told her to accept the deal, but her pride rebelled against being dictated to, especially when she had been subdued like a child in biotic combat. In fact the battle of wills was so intense she had not even noticed the stasis field's removal. At last she conceded.

"You make no compromises, I'll give you that. I respect that in a woman. It's a good _survival _instinct. _Have_ your two hours, you certainly seem strong enough to deal with those cretins. However, if I ever find out your identity… and that you've returned to this station. I will kill you."

"Is that so?" Samus remarked, rising from her seat and silently taking her leave. "Well I can assure you, if _your_ people dare threaten my life again, you'll be the first to go. _Count on it_."

For a moment Aria's hand twitched, as if she was longing to hurl a biotic warp field at this impossible woman who had undermined her so completely. Instead she hissed.

"You've broken Omega's _only rule_ and lived to tell about it – let's hope you're willing to do what's necessary when you find that fat bastard."

Samus laughed humourlessly, it was a hair-raising sound. "I'm no stranger to the arts of battle and politics and if I'm not mistaken, I've outmatched you in_ both_. You should count yourself lucky the data I seek isn't in _your_ possession." For once – Aria had no clever retort to finish this mutual exchange as Aran slipped through the door and let it close behind her.


	5. Fires of Corruption

**A/N: Early update! Longest chapter yet! Moral platitude! Wait... Scratch that; this is a suitable and meaningful quote. **

_"A person can become free through acts of disobedience. By learning to say no to power. But not only is the capacity for disobedience the condition for freedom; freedom is also the condition for disobedience. The humanistic conscience is the voice that calls us back to ourselves, to our humanity."_

(Eric Fromm)

**Fires of Corruption**

Not even the slightest natural breeze disturbed the unending dusk that enshrouded the Toshi district's stifling slum streets, or for that matter the entire station. Fifty stories up it was entirely different, a harsh cold wind from the unshielded docking bays and the ever-changing mass effect envelope fluctuations beyond whipped Aran's billowing hooded cape around her like wreaths of smoke.

The refinery was an ugly, sooty complex of flame topped cooling stacks and twisted piping running haphazardly through the facility. It seemed an almost impossible maze for Aran to find her quarry. Bringing up her omni tool, Samus committed the overhead map of the building's floor plans to memory. For the first and not the last time; Adam had come through with even the most obscure sources of Intel. Her network of proxies obscured her digital records and decryption activity from even the Salarian Special Tasks Group's inquisitive eyes.

Upon lowering the device, Aran studied the Chozo rune on the back of her body-suit's left glove. It no longer glowed with nano-crystular energy, separated by thousands of light years, and without beacon proxies, the power needed to activate the Varia suit would quite likely kill her, since she had locked it away in it's immaterial form on a small terrestrial sphere beyond the unmapped Daiban relay.

Besides, it was the person _wearing_ the armour who was truly dangerous, not the armour _itself_; Samus reflected. Anyone who dared to cross her would discover that to their peril.

Clutching the seam of her poncho, Aran swept the garment from her shoulders, it curled and disappeared into itself as if it were the night incarnate. The dark blue infiltration suit she was clad in would blend well with the murky surfaces of the foundry.

She stepped back five paces, then raced towards the edge of the building and performed a twisting spring jump, her momentum carrying her sixty feet down and towards the side of the building. To avoid a heavy landing she projected two streams of biotic energy from her hands, acting as stabilizing thrusters, a ring of dark matter also resonated from her and realigned her centre of gravity perfectly.

Nimbly, Samus latched onto the sheer wall and began to climb, wedging her fingers and toes onto the narrowest of ledges, then hurling herself back and out to seize a horizontal pipe, shimmying along Aran eventually had to pull her entire length along the pipe to squeeze into a cramped air duct. After a short while she heard the voices of two patrolling mercs in the corridor below.

"Boss doesn't sound happy, Darzul still hasn't responded and its been over a month since we took Aria's shipment."

"Reckon he made a run for it, and kept the haul for himself?"

"Nah, Aria's _friends_ in the Terminus would have tracked him down. He's a messed up motherfucker of a Krogan but he's not stupid enough to cross Qaitus."

"Maybe something beyond the relay wiped out his crew, it was unmapped after all."

"Yeah, _right_... What could have possibly — "

He never had a chance to consider who or what, before said entity silenced them both with open palmed blows to the throat. Listening intently Samus could discern two more patrols in the distance, quickly and carefully she dragged the bodies into a small furnace room and 'stashed' them in the room's main feature.

Hyper-aware, she stealthily made her way through the refinery. Dispatching any wayward mercs who weren't making regular status reports until she reached a small side office with a narrow chute leading into the rafters once more. Here was where one of her weapons contacts had left a dead drop of military grade hardware.

Slicing into a merc's recently acquired credit chit she entered the pin code onto the keypad of the armoured case. The down payment had come from her own various laundered accounts and with Adam investing in major share holders of companies like Jormangund technologies she had no danger of running out of currency. Still, it was better to never leave any kind of paper trail, even a mixed digital one.

With a sharp click, the case eased open. Revealing three small packages of cyclotrimethylene trinitramine armed with miniscule thermal hydride blasting caps. Antique C9 by her technological standards but the results would be spectacular. It had an explosive velocity of 20000m/s, coupled with the subsonic deflagration, it would rip the refinery, and a good portion of the district apart if placed in the element zero reactor. But quite unnecessary, these would serve a _different_ purpose.

Slipping the explosives into the small backpack that accompanied it, Samus removed the other item from its foam grooves, a small ceramic-upgrade kit for small-arms weaponry. With a few deft movements she clipped a proton round module for added kinetic barrier penetration into the slide of the Paralyzer, replaced the magnesium heat sink with a specialized, highly regulated and almost completely frictionless form of NEM graphene, and cocked back the high poundage hydraulic firing pin with a single thumb.

There, she inserted and tweaked a proprietary hyper-rail of her own custom design, this would over clock the accelerator to rival the impact force of sniper grains, while the graphene heat sink would compensate for the former's tremendous increase in heat buildup. Lastly, she swapped the standard ammunition block for an outlawed titanium condensate nicknamed 'harpoon rounds'; they had been banned by most military's for the grievous and _excessive_ bodily harm they could inflict, but that wasn't going to stop her from taking every advantage she could exploit over her foes.

Samus secreted the weapons case away for her associate to retrieve, then proceeded to steal throughout the facility like a ghost. The in-built silencer on the Paralyzer ensured every take down went unnoticed. Though a sneaking mission wasn't really the Raging Devil's style, she knew that a head on assault would not end well, even for one with such considerable abilities. She needed to play this one more _subtly_.

To that end she would have to find the primary control room and once there, hack into the mainframe to access the machinery's schematics for her plan to succeed.

Within minutes she had reached the security hub, a dingy little room with several holo consoles and more importantly, eight mercenaries playing poker around a rectangular table. The longer the mission continued, the greater the chance the alarm would be raised, by all accounts Samus could not allow this, not until the charges were in place…

So without further ado she opened the door and walked in. The mercs stopped jabbering and were struck dumb as the gorgeous woman intruded, closing the door behind her.

"Lost your way, beautiful?" A heavily-built Human male with a scrubby beard hooted with jeering derision. Four mercs ceased to breathe when dead-eye head shots tore through grey matter. Within the next two seconds the table was overturned, several had their firearms torn away before they were stricken with multiple fatal injuries.

The one who had dared to notice Aran's figure before her heavily armed state was lifted bodily over her head to crash back first onto the room's scattered contents. Still holding his arm in a reverse-lock, she slammed her heel in a simple back kick into his face, folding the upper vertebrae back over the stress-point.

After the stiflingly quiet melee, Samus hacked the main computer's firewalls within a similar amount of time. The logs drew attention to two silos of strategic importance in the refinery's structure. C9 placed on their lower struts would destroy many of the passages snaking through the complex, leaving only one route from the guard's living quarters to the main block, their boss, and freedom from the inferno caused once the charges went off. They could all be channeled straight to their doom.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to be that easy. According to an e-mail there was a prison complex in the lower levels, full of those captured from other merchant vessels on subsequent raids. Those who could be ransomed would fetch a tidy profit for Qaitus' coffers, those who could not…

"Damn it." Aran swore. If she set off the explosives they would be buried or burned alive, but releasing them would risk discovery. Again.

Samus made up her mind quickly, she would free the hostages first, she would not allow them to die effectively by her own hand, not when she had the power to save them. Leaving the bloody scene, she descended through the bowels of the facility, determining a path out of the complex which she would point the prisoners to, then collapse so they wouldn't be followed.

Any patrol who fell foul of the intrepid soldier was dealt with through a combination of CQC, biotics and hand gun take downs. Without fail, each corpse was loaded with ill-gotten loot, which Samus commandeered to distribute back to it's rightful owners. On the way, nearly every guard was incapacitated, permanently. And a set of fire doors were quickly hacked, revealing an exit to a side street and the main road.

Eventually, the prison complex, (or a row of battery cells, as it looked like to the huntress) came into view. Only three mercs, all of a different race guarded the cages; containing around fifty bedraggled individuals, ranging from rotund Volus merchants to Turians stripped of their facial tattoos and pride, even a few Quarians were stuffed in together at the far end cell. Cackling, one of the degenerates began to zap the metal bars with a stun rod, causing the prisoners to yelp and jump away from the shocks, inadvertently pushing their fellows into the sparking surface and continuing the vicious cycle.

Fury etched in her features, Aran stood and rounded the corner, already glowing with biotic power, she thrust out her fist and a cyclonic wind tore the sadists from their feet and smeared them against the wall – bringing down a hefty amount of tiles and plaster to soak up their spilt internal ichors.

Switching to a different alignment of eezo nodules, a blade-like extension of sizzling biotic-energy issued from her hand and remained statically attached as she diced one row of cell door locks with the concentrated warp field. The sundered metal fell away and Samus repeated the process on the other side, the hostages remained silent, realizing the importance of their co-operation; they began to exit their cells cautiously.

"Thank you… thank you!" One Salarian wept, grabbing her leg pitifully, he had been _particularly_ roughed up and was missing the fingers from his left hand.

"All of you, remain calm." The Hunter assured them, "Line up, the order doesn't matter to me, you're _all_ getting out of here." Her authoritative tone kicked the prisoners into overdrive, who all hurried to obey. Some joined up with those they evidently knew while others were swept along, bewildered but hopeful.

"Ma'am, are you here to secure us? Are your other teammates dealing with the mercs?" A lean, almost starved Batarian questioned, who was supporting his Turian friend.

"I'm here alone. Not under anyone else's orders." Samus said pointedly. Another, a Quarian piped up with.

"Are you an assassin?"

"I am an independent bounty hunter." Aran replied, growing weary of the questions already. "I need all of you to follow the passageways to the right, they'll lead you out of the building and into the Toshi district. You'll leave in small groups to avoid attracting attention. _Don't _stick around, the fireworks are going to be immense."

Some of the liberated quailed under her commands but a waddling gray-suited Volus voiced an impertinent concern.

"Earth Clan! Do you expect us to fend for ourselves? You're a biotic goddess and you won't accompany us into Omega's streets?! What about-"

"Shut it! Niftu Cal! She just saved us!" His equally rotund counterpart reprimanded him. Aran nodded in polite gratitude.

"Each of you will receive a fraction of the money I've taken from your captors." Aran explained patiently. "Use it to leave this rock and don't look back, if you've got any combat training, pick up any of the weapons that are lying around, if not, then refrain, you'll only be a danger to yourself. Stick together and stay safe."

"And how are we supposed to know which way to go?"

"Simple enough, follow the bodies."

As fast as she dared – Samus allowed groups of up to six people to leave, after handing out credit chits from her backpack. Many shook her hand, promising to repay her some day, promises, she assured them, that were not necessary.

The final group was composed of the two Volus merchants and the others who had spoken up. Stepping forward, the friendlier one who was wearing a light green pressure suit wheezed through his mask.

"Earth Clan, you must be here for Qaitus? No, don't bother telling me _why_, I know you'd probably have to kill me. But… _Be careful_, he has his own personal bunker with a lot of mercs protecting him – and… Well… Forewarning you only seemed decent."

Samus half laughed in spite of herself.

"Thank you, Mr. ...?"

"Kur, Dakni Kur."

"Well, Dakni. You and your friends best leave, _now_."

The grey suited Volus remarked, "that's rather rude of you, why should we - "

"Because I can hear a detachment of ten mercs coming from the left corridor. Go. NOW!"

Without warning, an alarm was triggered from the hallway, just as a flash-bang grenade was bounced off the wall and into the prison block. Aran biotically hurled it back and was rewarded with the cries of the mercs as they were deafened and blinded.

"I'll cover you! Move!"

The prisoners raced down the adjacent corridor as Aran took cover by the doorway and blind fired with the Paralyzer, two shrieks affirming that she had found her marks. Returning fire, the eight remaining kept her pinned down by sheer volume of sub-sonic bullets peppering her cover.

They certainly didn't expect the intruder to dive roll with incomparable speed across the hallway to a protruding pillar. A biotic barrier halted the hasty spray of metal death, flaring up with indigo light while the pistol sang with well placed harpoon rounds; that ripped fist sized holes straight through two more and practically severed the head of a third, leaving it dangling off his jetting neck by cords of flesh.

Panicking, the last five amateurs held down the triggers of their assault rifles, whittling down the vertical permacrete support that their killer hid behind until all of them had overheated their weapons from the continuous fire.

"RETREAT!" One shrieked - but it was too late. Samus flourished her left hand then clenched it into a fist and snapped it open as she stepped out. A biotic singularity of infinite gravitational force blossomed into existence. Yanking the five mercs, their weapons, debris and even fixed paraphernalia off the walls and into the crushing depths of the miniature black hole.

Drawing back the same arm, she threw a radiating globe of contained biotic force into the heart of the field. The implosion shredded the screaming mercs like wet paper and the subsequent collapse exploded outward with blue flames of inestimable dark energy – pulverizing the corridor. With a mighty groan the ceiling caved in as Samus leapt back from the cascade of falling rock and steel girders.

As the dust cleared, she noted that the main hall through the refinery was inaccessible.

_"That should give me some time."_ She thought, turning round she saw the impolite Volus, Niftu Cal looking at her with awe.

"I told you to get out of here." Samus warned as she kicked him lightly in the ass - to which he promptly fled, as fast as his chubby legs could carry him.

She had run out of time, Qaitus' army was awakening and they would soon breach the collapsed passage or else head over the upper walkways. That would take time though. Time enough for her to implement her plan.

Like a true demolition trooper, Samus squeezed the first two packets of C9 into the bases of the fuel support silos and activated their detonator signals. Tuning her omni tool to the remote frequency.

Now was the moment to head for her main objective, Qaitus. Sprinting tirelessly she made her way back to the gantries above the production line. Climbing and jumping as only she could, then latching, upside down onto the under hanging railings of the ceiling walkway.

At that moment, the first contingent of mercenaries arrived. Clattering above her, one was speaking into his earpiece with a distinct Turian flanging effect.

"No boss, it _wasn't_ an accident. Aria's people are here, they've killed _a lot_ of the guards, must be a highly trained infiltration team. ETA till backup arrives is — "

He was cut off with a scream of his own agonizing pain as Aran smashed her fist into his patella from her hanging position. Then dragged him over the railing by the scruff of his neck to fall thirty meters below. The others fired to the right of the gantry where the woman had emerged but hit nothing but metal and air.

Swinging from the poles underneath, Samus built up her momentum then catapulted herself up and over the railings on the other side feet first; kicking another straight off the ledge to plummet to his death. Three more tried to bring their rifles to bear, but she was amongst them too fast, carving thirty centimeter gashes in their bodies with twin biotic blades.

As they fell, the last merc, a Krogan with a slug-thrower shoved the gun towards Aran's face, hoping to blow her head off. She palmed the weapon aside, sending the ammunition block snapping out of the casing and rendering it useless. Then she repeated a classic combination of elbow, back-fist to the crown in quick succession, dazing the tough alien.

Her finisher came replete with a Denzium knuckle-duster clad straight punch, that shattered the brown plate like glass and pierced his frontal lobes with all the effectiveness of a claymore mine's steel ball bearings. The force of the blow lifted him aloft – to then land with enough force that the whole gangway shook.

_"That crest sure is an exploitative weakness." _Samus smirked as the Krogan blubbered and twitched into somatic death even though his brain had shut down.

"Up there! Shoot her!" The leader of a large force that had just entered the room roared.

Samus raced for the end of the gangway as gunfire blazed around her, draining her biotic barrier faster than before. Displaying acute mental dexterity, she threw herself out and above the deadly fall (a leap of nearly ten meters) – the mercs ceased to fire as their target seemingly jumped to her death – onto a fixed suspension wire used for crane lifting. Once more the biotic blade sliced out, clean through the counter weights, sending the anaconda-thick parallel wire whipping out and tearing a few of them in half.

Its heavy cargo container dropped as well, crushing another group like ants as it struck and rebounded off other heavy machinery.

Giving way from its sockets the wire she held onto sprang away, heading on a steep trajectory angle. Releasing it momentarily, she seized the wire with her calves and shot the broken chock away upside down. With a screech the wire lowered once more and Samus dropped to become upright with it, using the Paralyzer as a cross-bar, she zip-lined through the chaotic refinery towards the blackened outer windows.

Realizing that their foe was going to escape, all the surviving mercs (and those that still flooded onto the foundry floor,) opened fire. Barely three meters from freedom she felt a round graze her shoulder, releasing a spray of blood as her barrier failed. A split-second later she let go. Arcing forwards with superlative grace to smash, forearms first through the centre window and out into Omega's night.

As she fell, Aran twisted her omni tool's harmonic rings – setting off the C9 charges in a devastating twin detonation. The subsequent expansion of hot air propelled her further then she had anticipated, requiring her to tuck and roll nine times on the hard surface of the courtyard forty feet below, dissipating the intense velocity of the impact.

Just in time, Aran managed to raise her barrier as the aftershock and pyroclastic flow of super-heated ash, glass and rubble released from the explosions swept over her. And parted due to the bubble of dark side energy protecting her.

From within the twisted corpse of the refinery came the screams of those trapped in the fire. Samus straightened up, visibility was poor with the pall of black smoke shrouding the area.

Her ripped shoulder writhed as it began to heal, the blood flow clotted and fresh skin grew in its place. Even the tear in her suit sealed in a wisp of black smoke before the muscle knitted together and was cooled by the medicinal salve.

With dreadful purpose, the warrior approached the last fuel silo, squashed the last C9 package into a crack then fired three shots into the container. Clear hydrogen fuel splashed down and began to collect in a large puddle, there was going to be _a lot_ more fire.

Checking the automated camera feeds on her omni tool, Aran could see around a hundred mercs making their way through the central corridor to the courtyard. They had gotten through the cave-in.

_"Boy, do they have a surprise in store."_ Samus reflected. _Almost_ feeling sorry for them.

Instead of circumventing the steps to the main block, Aran raced up the stairs, gathering an enhanced barrier of such intensity that it distorted her outline. To add to the splitter effect, the insubstantial cape materialized once more, making her seem more vapour than flesh as she pulled up the hood.

Fifty hand-picked mercs were situated at strategic positions around Qaitus' expansive art decor office, the portly Turian was flanked by two Krogan at the back of the room.

_"No army can get through here! No one at all!"_ The criminal nearly wept as he clutched a J5 hand cannon as if it were a sacred talisman to draw strength from.

What came through those glass doors was no army – but an avenging spirit. Using a focused biotic shock wave and moving at a speed none could match, the doors were blown inwards, the sheer volume of glass shards depleted their shields and cut those at the forefront into ribbons.

Chaos. Endless blue muzzle flashes chewed up the surroundings, not working together as one unit it was child's play for the dark will-o-the-wisp to infiltrate between the groups and dismantle them.

Aran executed a flurry of blows, her body a living weapon, calling upon all her experience and repertoire of martial techniques to brain the fools to death before they could pull a trigger.

Plucking a set of knives from one's combat boot, she hurled the pair end over end. One plunged into an Asari's throat; the second pierced a Salarian's helmet and skewered him through the forehead.

Careening backwards, his sub-machine gun on full auto – tore up the ceiling, and a few of his comrades on the way down.

Heedless, Aran seized the closest merc in a choke hold, (after breaking his collarbone,) before twisting his assault rifle to rest under his armpit. One handed, she returned fire with the rifle, her other hand projected an EMP overload pulse from her integrated omni tool, shorting out a good deal of kinetic barrier emitters.

Protected by a Human shield and a high gravity biotic screen, she mowed down a score, then hurled the bullet-ridden corpse into a closer group, tangling them up in a mess of limbs.

The remainder had reached suitable cover, but it was in vain as the wraith rebounded off the wall, closing the gap in milliseconds, then performed a text-book flanking maneuver faster than they could bring their guns to bear.

Zavek Qaitus cowered behind his desk, covering his ears as his bodyguards fired endlessly at the intruder. He risked a single peek, to see his men's flank being rolled up by a single being, who was sporting both the borrowed rifle and a silver pistol in each hand, and claiming head shots as if they were going out of style.

Qaitus' men retreated to either side of the room in the face of such withering return fire, trying to pin their elusive enemy down. Their concentrated barrage shore through Aran's biotic protection.

Cursing, the Hunter avoided death by inches as she rounded cover, then rolled frantically between the legs of a table, even as two bullets found their mark. One clipped her side, the other impacted the thick bicep of her upper arm and tore straight through to the bone. Blocking the unpleasant sensation Aran flipped the table over for shelter.

"There's blood! We've got her now!" One overconfident merc shrieked, right before a very familiar black disc slapped onto his armour's breast plate. Screaming hellishly, he tried to pull the grenade off his chest - the incendiary mine detonated; immolating him.

Experimental napalm clusters rained outwards, preoccupying one side of the room as they were char-grilled alive. The table where Aran was concealed rocketed forward biotically and ground several bones to dust when it collided with said unfortunates.

Coiled like a cobra, Samus met the last ten at close range, utilizing a variant of CQB gun Kata; none of the mercs gained another hit as they were re-directed or blocked each other inadvertently.

She spun over one's back, scything her boot into a Batarian's soft throat, dragged one into friendly fire, knee-capped two more, then snapped both their necks at once.

Predicting the high and low arcs of the targeting weapons she bent back and her feet left the ground as she unbalanced a Human in a hip-throw and put one between his eyes in free fall. Even as his friends shot each other in the feet and the chest.

Now that crucial space had been cleared, Aran took down three simultaneously with a mule-kick, double-punch, followed by a point-blank gunshot under a Turian's jaw.

Hooking her leg over the last Human merc's shotgun she grinned wickedly.

"Too slow." She admonished, a pistol-whip assisted blow knocking him out cold.

Samus twitched her fingers, sending the Krogan's weapons soaring out of their hands to join the scattered mess the office had become. She lowered her outstretched leg athletically.

Both of the hulking aliens looked apprehensive as the wounded but still deadly woman raised the handgun – then dropped it. Aran seized her convulsing hand. At the same time her side went into similar spasms making her legs nearly give way under her own weight.

"_No."_ Samus implored from within as her Chozo blood once more tried to reject the foreign presence of medi gel rushing to the injury sites.

Prolonged use of biotics seemed to have pushed her deadened nerve-endings to their limit, along with copious amounts of the wonder drug flaring up to attack the two wound sites; anyone else's heart would have given out. Sam berated herself for not foreseeing such an adverse reaction.

"What are you waiting for, you fools! _Kill her_!"

The first Krogan began to charge, Samus slammed her omni tool into her thigh, injecting raw medi gel and temporarily countering the imbalance by allowing the inner coagulants to recede. Adrenaline rushing through her veins Aran came to meet the organic tank head on.

At the last second she leapt high in another spinning vault jump. Seized the Krogan's crest in both hands and allowed her momentum to wrench his head around 200 degrees. Eyes rolling feebly into the back of his head, the behemoth crashed to the ground with comparatively less aplomb than his destroyer.

Krogan could not be paralyzed, per say. They had no nerves but a conductive fluid running through their intercostal peritoneum, which was known as their secondary circulatory system, or more commonly, their _redundant nervous system_. Apply enough force however, and an air bubble of sufficient size could block signals to the brain, rendering them a vegetated invalid with no thought processes whatsoever.

Blinded by a need for vengeance, Qaitus' last guard emulated his brother, rushing forward to tear the Human apart or trample her under his bulk. This time Aran spun inwardly to her right as she ran forwards, jumped up high and around his deadly embrace, then planted a biotic blade straight down through the armoured gap between shoulder and throat.

The alien let out a wallowing cry as the molecular edge slipped through his defences and pierced both hearts. Yanking her arm back, she severed the aortas and landed neatly behind him. Blood welled up through his grasping fingers as his primary and secondary arteries drained away; the nigh indestructible creature dropped, dead weight, into a regenerative coma.

She biotically pulled the Paralyzer back into her palm and promptly euthanized both of the terminals with double taps.

Zavek Qaitus: disgraced former duarch of the Actus colony, now former (gone to seed,) Omega crime lord had pissed himself out of fear as the hooded woman advanced on him.

"Stay back! By the Spirits! I'm warning y-" He said in a high pitched voice, waving his over-sized pistol wildly, right before the bounty hunter brought her Denzium clad knuckles down on his forearm.

Qaitus squealed like a stuck pig as his radius snapped and collided with his ulna, pulping his arm into a unique Monteggia compound fracture. Torn periosteal tissue was an endless, deep pain. Primal and inescapable as the muscle fibers tried to hold the fragments together.

Not finished yet, the huntress grabbed him by the front of his expensive suit and tossed him over the desk as if he were a piece of balsa wood. Scattering ornaments and papers and eliciting fresh screams as he landed on his mangled arm.

Leaving the blubbering, obese, crippled man where he lay. Aran hacked his personal terminal, sure enough, was the only other copy of the Daiban relay's co-ordinates; with a few deft presses on the holographic wrist device, she uploaded some confidential-looking files to her omni tool and purged the system. Then, with the same terrifying strength she tore the terminal and its server from the desk and hit it with a sabotage field, fusing the components together and destroying any traces.

An animal moan caused her to glance momentarily at the pathetic figure curled into a foetal position in the corner. With great difficulty he rasped.

"You're f – f – fucking _dead_, you cunt! I've got – more men - where that came from!" His features were glazed with pain and hatred.

Aran sighed world wearily as she checked the camera feeds again, back-up had arrived.

"I know, Zavek. Shame they're all running to their deaths for you." With that she unclipped another grenade and hurled it the length of the room, breaking a world record in the process as it soared a hundred meters, down to the courtyard and blew.

The fireball that followed was like a solar flare as the hydrogen fuel went up, consuming half of Qaitus' reinforcements in the oxidization. The air vanished in a snap-second suffocating the remainder as others thrashed around, not having been lucky enough to be carbonized on the spot.

"Over kill much?" Aran remarked as she beamed the image next to him. Zavek watched in horror as smoke began to block the cameras just as the woman activated the last charge, obliterating the survivors and knocking out the feed.

In fact, the aftershock was so powerful that the ceiling partly collapsed, flames blew through the entranceway and continued to burn – though their power had been robbed by the explosion. Qaitus had passed out from pain and shock.

Aran noted the thick chain that had fallen through the ceiling as an escape route, then, to quell the tremors that were starting to plague her again she took Qaitus by the foot and dragged him to it, fastening his wrists so that he hung a few inches off the ground.

Tearing agony woke him up as his none too limber frame began to separate his fracture thanks to gravity.

"What do you want from me?" He sobbed.

Aran threw back her hood so that he could see his interrogator.

"Information."

"You've already _got_ my files... I can't tell you anything else - " Brutally, she ripped his left mandible clean off, jabbed a thumb under his chin then propped his bawling mouth open with the sinew crowbar, which dug into his soft pallet.

"I'll be the judge of that." She snarled with venom as Qaitus howled through his leveraged beak and thrashed gruesomely.

"Your men are dead, _fat boy_. Time for you to join them, but first you're going to tell me who else is involved with your coup d'etat in the Terminus systems. If you do – then your end will be quick, if not…"

She tore the prop from his mouth faster than the eye could blink and took two of his fanged teeth with it. When the noise had subsided, Qaitus spilled his guts.

"Me and several other – business men, were contacted by carrier drones, we were sponsored with men, money, weaponry. For a job, a job that would go down a little over two years from now, in the Skyllian Verge."

"Humanity's most recent area of expansion... Go on."

"At that time, all the slavers, small-timers and war lords would come together for a raid on a human colony."

"Which colony? Who was the anonymous backer?"

"I – I don't know, please d — "

She continued to torture Qaitus inventively: breaking the sensitive spike off his head-fringe then plunging it into his groin. A few deafening cries later and Qaitus spoke rapidly, proving that he was imparting nothing fictional.

"It-would-have-to-be-a-major-settlement-Terra-Nova-or-Elysium-maybe-the-guy-went-under-an-alias-Elanos-Haliat." He said in one breath.

"A Turian?"

"If I had to guess, he's _probably_ a Batarian, the Hegemony is the only force with the resources to fund an operation like this."

"Very thought provoking. One last thing, have you imparted the hidden relay's co-ordinates to anyone else; except Gatatog Darzul?"

"No, _of course not_, my people found it a stellar year ago, only Darzul knew – I swear on the spirits of Palaven."

Aran made sure he wasn't lying by manipulating a bunched pressure point in his neck, causing an excruciating sensation for the rest of his short life.

"IT'S THE TRUTH! PLEASE! _WHAT_ ARE YOU?!"

His cries would have melted even the hardest of hearts, but the Chozo-Metroid hybrid felt nothing for the creature she had broken. She wasn't going to get anything more from this garbage.

"I am Metroid."

And with that, she dug her right hand's digits into his crown, draining the very life force from his body as she had done to Orgun. This time however, she did not relent after three seconds – or decide to cancel out her one prevalent thought. To snuff this slime out of existence.

Qaitus was seized by a fit; his neuron's impulses died like embers in rain. Nutritional energy fled from his form as his body withered into a dry lignified memory of what had been a chubby, morally bankrupt sentient being. Within ten seconds he was very, _very_ dead.

Tightening her grip, she carved five trenches into the powdery, brittle skull – feeling immensely refreshed, any lingering aches from her two bullet wounds and the bio-plasam's rejection tremors had vanished as well.

Many thoughts assailed her.

That hiccup should not have occurred, it could have cost her dear if she hadn't had a backup trauma application module on her omni tool. She didn't even want to consider what would have happened if she'd gone without.

Aran wracked her considerable brain. Could it be that the bio-plasam was beginning to be broken down by her immune system? In large quantities it was an effective toxin and her Metroid physiology was specially programmed to only absorb X particles...

No that wasn't it, the experiments and field exercises had proved that she could imbibe the effects of genetically modified mutagens. More tests might be necessary…

Shaking off her uncertainty, Aran clambered up the chain, (still suspending the emaciated ruin of the crime lord,) reaching the open skylight – she calmly surveyed the fires roaring below, no yells of the trapped could be heard. But she could also hear Aria's people arriving, it was time to be gone from this wretched station.

Once more she brushed off the blood and ash that had settled on her during the night's adventure, then hopped smartly onto the roof and began to free run back to the dock; avoiding street level in favour of the fierce joy of ascended movement.

* * *

><p>Aria T'Loak was not in a good mood. For all her power and influence some unknown Human woman had held her <em>very life<em> in her hands. Shoved a deal down her throat, and just now, reduced a vital resource to a burning tomb. True the remainder of the shipment had come through unharmed and her enemies were dead – but at the will of another; not hers.

Numerous reps could tell her nothing about the human except that she had arrived in a frigate that had gone missing over a month ago. The DNA sample her technicians had taken off the stranger's glass revealed no matches in any database. Worse still, Qaitus' OSD had been wiped clean and compromised physically, the data was gone. They had nothing.

And it was for this reason that Aria had sent the trusted Turian mercenary, Preitor Gavorn, and several of her best men, all armed with high powered U-18 MK. VI Punisher sniper rifles; to assassinate the upstart nonentity. She made the call as soon as her people sent to the Toshi refinery reported in.

"You're team is a go. Take her dead _or_ alive, either would please me."

The mystery woman was smart, she had placed fail-safes that precluded any tampering with her ship's systems and even a transponder signal that disrupted radio frequencies used in remote EOD's. But she couldn't survive a hit squad of snipers encircling the docking bay. Aria smiled, she would enjoy finding out who this woman was and what information she could possibly have; that was worth so many lives.

* * *

><p>Aran had sprinted and navigated 20km back through the districts, deciding to approach the bay from the road in her jumbled train of thought.<p>

"_Where do I go from here? Threads still diverge in every direction and I have no clues as what to do next."_ She shook her head exasperatedly. After all this time and still her mind wondered away with her like a novice. There was only one place to go: out into the open, she could not hide any longer.

Walking calmly along, her heightened senses saved her from decapitation as a round no bigger than a needle's head zipped past her as she hurled herself back; having heard a gasp associated with breath-control marksmen techniques.

The huntress was outmatched in the wide open space of the docking bay, there was no cover for nearly fifty feet in any direction and she was beset on both sides by six snipers on high-rise apartments.

Re-tracing the lines of fire, Samus sprayed wildly as she ran flat out to the nearest ship. The upgrades to the Paralyzer paid off – one shrieked and fell back as a hyper-velocity, overclocked slug blew his heart out. Unfortunately, Samus did not have the half second necessary to activate a barrier as she endured the crossfire. One finally got lucky.

This time a round punctured the back of her thigh, turning the toned muscle into an unrecognizable mess of ruined tissue and downing her with a gasp of suppressed, mind-shattering pain even as she carried forward, sliding into cover, and leaving a bloody trail.

She wedged herself under the hull as rounds blew the permacrete to bits around her. Her leg was useless, although the bone was still intact, the throbbing remained. With dawning comprehension, she realised that the medi gel had run its course, it had propagated for three weeks only to fail_ now_ at the time she needed it the most.

The Devil spat harshly, she had taken more bullet wounds than men had fantasies. It would take more than a flesh wound to finish her!

Preitor Gavorn kept his scope fixed firmly on the shuttle the human was hiding behind. All of a sudden a disk was lobbed skywards, cocked for two seconds it exploded instantly as a glaring flash bang lit the area. Scorching his stereoscopic vision into dizzying white and red hues.

Eyes streaming, all of Aria's goons ducked below their parapets. Samus commando-rolled out from underneath the shuttle, presenting a smaller target. From her prone position on her back she let loose with more pistol shots. The shots penetrated the stone lip on high after repeated damage, shredding the blinded merc into red tatters.

Concentrating with all her might, she loosed an orb of gravitonic dark energy, which arced up and engulfed the tenth story balcony, plucking the other two from their perches, she dropped the field, and they shrieked like babies until the sudden stop at the bottom.

Gavorn and his last comrade regained their sight, while Samus used a series of one-legged tumbles and flips to cross the desperate distance to the frigate at speed.

Time and again, they came close to winging her and dispatching her for good, or else gaining a lethal hit to the torso. However, Aran was just too fast for them to keep her in their scopes, a navy blur of motion.

Once more the grenades came in useful as she threw the last two disks through the dark and detonated them in mid-flight. The concussive waves smashed the Human merc off his feet, but Gavorn held fast, grey smoke hung in the air from the explosions; blocking his target.

He pulled the trigger four times where he perceived the frigate's side airlock would be, he heard a thud and a cry on the last shot, he had got her!

His jubilant shout turned to one of despair as he was struck in the chest by a biotic attack from impossible range, to crash into the air conditioning unit and have the wind knocked out of him. The rifle spun from his hands to clatter off the roof leaving him weaponless.

Crawling back to the edge, he saw the frigate's blood-stained door slide shut, then after a few seconds it took off and headed out into the murky artificial atmosphere – and the freedom of space.

Gavorn thumped his fist into the sheet-metal surface; moaning his failure to the cruel gods. Aria would have his head for losing four men, even _if_ the female was fatally wounded. At best; all the hit-man could hope for was that he'd be demoted to a really shitty job.


	6. Welcome to Earth!

**A/N: Hello! I'm back. A little later than expected this week, A2's and UCAS are keeping me busy, and I _had _to read Christopher Paolini's_ Inheritance, _a great finale to a great series. But onwards with my own story, an old friend took the trouble to kindly proof-read this chapter and edit all my inevitable grammar and punctuation errors, so give a big hand to him! I'd also like to thank everyone who's favourited or reviewed and everyone who's going to! Your feedback and recognition is very heart-warming and ensures I'll update every week like I promised, only not always as early as Friday. (Apologies) **

_"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." _

_(Henry Ford)_

**Welcome to Earth!**

Unhurriedly, Samus input her next destination into the nav-computer.

No one from Omega would pursue her into the Attican Traverse and any scans to her spilt blood would leave them bamboozled.

With a dull grunt of discomfort, Aran probed the profusely bleeding wound in her left clavicle, where the sniper grain had struck and spiraled through the flesh, bursting ligaments asunder, until it had cracked against her scapula and nearly caused her to black out.

Just breathing caused intense waves of a numbing new jolt of pain as her shoulder blade rocked the ruined flesh. Her leg scarcely felt better, which was a small consolation compared to the re-opened injuries in her side and arm.

As she sat in the pilot seat, gore-covered and weak from blood loss, she came to the realisation that it was not the physical hurts themselves which threatened to overcome her, but her flawed attitude and overconfidence.

She had fought how she had always fought: tenaciously, with little or no concern for her personal safety. But she was not invincible, not any more, even with her advanced biotics and unfathomable speed. Adaptation was the name of the game; her old style would have to be dispensed with.

Then there was the problem with the medi gel transfusion. Aran would not make the same mistake of relying on one or two areas of the Galaxy's strange technologies. In her arrogance she had believed that the alien surroundings would conform to her, not the other way around. Aria would pay one day, she swore to herself; no one ever got away with hurting her and living to tell about it. One day...

Dragging herself from her seat, Samus leant on the wall for support and then headed down the corridor to the wash-room. After discarding the combat harnesses and straps the darker variant of the zero suit morphed and reshaped into a single glove as she entered the doorway.

Removing it, and now standing nude, Samus sighed as she turned the shower on full blast at the highest temperature, water mingled with blood as it washed down the drain. She let her pony tail down and enjoyed the roaring of the 60 Degree Celsius streams of recycled H2O as her body's own natural painkillers kicked in. She felt pleasantly warm and cozy.

After washing, Samus turned the temperature dial all the way down to freezing. The sheer contrast shook the lethargy from her form but the extremes were only mildly irritating to her marble skin. After getting out she was somewhat amused to find another application for her omni tool: as an impromptu hair-dryer.

Next, the lithe woman caused her entire form to halt in a relaxation method as she applied pressure pads from a first-aid kit; soaking up her blood, before extracting each tiny piece of shrapnel with a telekinetic field. Then she sprayed disinfectant, haemostatic styptic and medi gel onto her thigh, bicep, abdomen and shoulder. Now that the wounds were clean and disinfected, she wrapped a sterilized bandage around her stomach and leg, having to use her teeth when tying the ones across her chest and arm.

Not trusting an injection of the bio-plasm, Aran decided to let these marks of battle heal in their own time, as a testament to her mistakes and to gain wisdom in coming gunfights.

The Hunter had not rested properly since arriving in the alternate Universe. Meditation was an excellent substitute but in her tiredness Aran collapsed into one of the bunks and slept soundly for five hours.

Later, Samus rose for another important twenty, one hundred minute hours, according to Galactic standard time. Amazingly, the sleep, medi gel and energy drained from Qaitus had sewn her flesh back together. Another day and she would be fully healed.

Methodically, she replaced her bandages and dressed in custom clothing that she had ordered on Omega of all places. This included: sports undergarments, a plain white T-shirt with a grey buttoned shirt over it, matching olive drab trousers and fingerless gloves, a brown belt with an ovular buckle and to complete the ensemble, a purple scarf tucked into her shirt at the throat, leather cowboy boots and an above knee-length, charcoal greatcoat with a reverse, inner pocket holster.

With some consideration, Samus rolled up her shirt sleeves to the elbow and kept her hair loose as a shoulder-length golden cascade. She applied the subtlest mascara possible to her upper and lower eye-lashes to accentuate her natural blues. Then she cast her coat onto the table and began a maintenance check on her Paralyzer pistol, cleaning the slide and innards with a fine, pencil-like brush and reapplying a lubricant to the graphene heat-sink. Lastly, she programmed an advanced VI combat optics upgrade into the auto-targeting retinal feedback feature for long-range shooting.

Satisfied, she checked the harpoon clip and the smoothness of the barrel's transition to its knuckle-duster counterpart, before holstering the Chozo handgun in her coat.

Lazily, she continued to prepare for the day, drinking a protein and fiber drink supplement in one gulp, then brushing and flossing her teeth. That night she had passed through the primary relay and reached the Local Cluster — and the home planet of Humanity.

But Earth would not be her first stop; a new, less criminally linked ship would be necessary, that or simply taking a public shuttle to Earth. Customs would be a true test of her forged documentation and hacking abilities.

For now, Lowell City was to be her goal, the largest and only civilian settlement on Mars with a population of 3.4 million people. It was a quiet backwater despite being so close to Earth, run by a coalition of several countries whose main occupation was historical preservation, not immigration, considering the research still ongoing at the south pole. Where Humanity had discovered they were not alone in the Universe.

She already had her contingencies in place; she was to meet a buyer in a popular bar at the Southern end of 'Eos Chasma' and make the transition then and there.

Dropping out of FTL, Samus could see the rusty-red planet from the front view-port. Swiveling around, the huntress noted that everything was in order, including the non-presence of the blood stains she had scrubbed off biotically. Port authorities were bound to check the frigate and ask where it came from.

Sure enough a hailing frequency came over the intercom.

"Unidentified vessel, this is Lowell Tower. Please state your registry number and the purpose of your visit to Mars."

"Registry no. 1374-9JP5; I'm here on business," Aran replied diplomatically.

There was a moment's delay as the official checked his database; then he answered back, sounding agitated.

"We have no records of your arrival or travel destination. Plus, we have you flagged as an unregistered vessel. State your intentions clearly, or the GARDIAN turrets at the space port may be forced to open fire."

"Look, young man. I've just traveled from the Terminus; a pirate ship wouldn't have the audacity to raid a world on the doorstep of the 2nd Fleet. Bring whatever crew you need to check over my ship. I'll co-operate fully."

To show her good will, Aran transmitted the docking fees to the port authorities before she had even touched down. After a long pause – during which Samus could hear the man talking to his superior about the suspicious frigate – he resumed communications.

"You're cleared for landing 9JP5. Proceed to docking bay Zeta; expect a security team to meet you on touchdown; if an agreement cannot be reached, your vessel will be impounded and you will be placed in Alliance custody."

"Verified, Lowell Tower." She cut communications as the frigate entered the thin atmosphere. Momentum dampeners kicked in as the ship adjusted to the light gravity of the Martian world, hurtling over the barren landscape.

A few seconds later, she passed through the terraforming shield dome; it seemed like a little slice of the third water drenched planetoid, resting in Sol's life zone, surrounded by red cold deserts hundreds of kilometers away.

Lowell City was built in the ergonomic style: tall buildings to maximize space needed for the hydroponics farms that littered the surrounding countryside, though there were plenty of lower rise buildings to accommodate the modest population.

Carefully, Aran brought her in to land in a partially closed off hangar in the multi-tiered Zeta bay and powered it down. Then she lowered the cargo ramp to allow security easy access.

Remaining seated, she watched the eight Humans come on board: six men, two women, all in dark hard-suits and armed with assault rifles. Their Captain looked perturbed that there was only a single Human woman at the bridge of a ship that could house over fifty people.

"Anyone else here, Ma'am?"

"_He seems well-meaning enough_," Aran measured. Just a guy surprised at seeing a fellow Human being; the team must have expected aliens on board a ship coming from the Terminus. Now they didn't know what to think.

"None except for myself, Captain; I flew this ship from Sahrabarik alone. Not as hard as it sounds, considering so much is automated."

"Right, my people are going to sweep the ship while I ask you some questions."

Aran nodded her acquiescence, whilst observing how the team split off with practiced ease; they were well trained, but the fact that they were going off alone bespoke of inexperience._ "They must have just come straight from the academies on Earth,"_ she considered.

The Captain slapped his folded assault rifle onto the magnetic strip on his back and took a seat in the co-pilot seat. Swiveling to face her, he gave what he seemed to think was a reassuring grin, which she deigned not to return. Somewhat ruffled, he activated his digital notebook on his omni tool and a small haptic interface keyboard. Samus sat with her leg resting over one knee, her hands on the arm rests.

"Before you can enter Lowell City, I've got to do a quick assessment, Miss...?"

"Shepard, Aran Shepard."

"Okay... Ah, here we go. Alliance citizen, born April 11th 2154 on the colony world of - Mindoir. Oh God, isn't that the —"

"Listen, Mr..."

"Cooper, Jerry Cooper, Miss Shepard. Look, if we'd known that this was your first time back in Alliance Space we wouldn't have come down on you so harshly. I mean there are procedures to follow and —"

"Cooper," 'Shepard' pressed forcefully, "that's quite alright. I'm not offended; you're only doing your job after all. I was merely going to offer you my full credentials and save you the trouble of looking them up." She brought up her own omni tool and beamed him the hard copies within a split second.

Cooper looked rather embarrassed as he checked numerous files, higher education certificates and other licenses. Samus rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking; she tended to have this effect on impressionable young men.

"Alright, that's me all done," Cooper smiled boyishly; this time Aran's lips twitched at his exuberance.

"Got to say, Miss Shepard. With a profile like that you could probably get a good job in any scientific field; last four years must have been rough to achieve it, though."

"You'd be amazed how much the death of your entire family and friends can give you a new perspective on life," remarked Aran mildly.

"Oh, I didn't mean to be insen - "

"Jerry," she warned.

"Right, right, you've probably been over it for quite awhile," Cooper replied sheepishly, looking at his knees.

"Sorry, but, if you don't mind my asking, how did you survive four years in the Terminus? I thought the _SSV_ _Einstein _took the refugees back to Earth."

"It did; I stole one of the fighters and left the same day."

"You knew how to fly at sixteen?"

"I knew how to fly since I was _seven_; I killed my first sentient when I was sixteen."

Jerry's mouth hung open in surprise.

"So... Freelance merc or...?"

"Bounty hunter," Samus answered, "I can look after myself Captain."

"I don't doubt it. Alright, Miss Shepard. We'll leave it at that; but I should warn you. If you're going to head to Earth be prepared for a bureaucratic minefield."

"Thank you, Captain. Stay safe." Aran said as they rose and shook hands. Jerry was impressed with the firmness of her grip.

"You too. Oh, and Miss Shepard?"

"Yes?"

"Welcome back."

The rest of Cooper's team found nothing out of the ordinary and exited the ship. Samus trailed behind them, slinging her greatcoat around her shoulders and pocketing the small zero suit glove in a voluminous inner pocket.

As she entered the mildly crowded terminal she noticed several of the rescinding security guards look back and give her appreciative looks. A female counterpart jabbed one playfully in the ribs and said sternly: "Don't even think about it Dimitry, she's out of your league." Aran overheard the exchange from over ten metres away, causing her to grin inwardly.

Customs went equally as smoothly, the biometric passport was scanned and checked and the detectors easily bypassed by the Savant's background signal. Although, she did have to consciously alter the signal strength to stop other people's omni tools from not working while in close proximity.

Before leaving the spaceport, Aran received a confirmation slip for her docked ship and a tourist brochure. She reduced the latter into omni gel; the little handheld devices never ceased to amaze her through their versatility; they could break down _anything_ into useful repairable materials; it didn't inhibit her arm movement and better still, her extranet access was top priority thanks to her substantial personal fortune.

Heading through the sliding doors and into the bustling street, Samus experienced a rare moment of ease: today there was no threat of death hanging over her; true, she never let her guard down, but she could afford to relax it — at least while on this peaceful planet.

As she walked with the teeming masses she reflected that if she so desired, she could retire. She had experienced so much death and pain; none could blame her. But the call of the unknown, to employ her skills for a greater cause; that hunger would never be satiated.

The only question that remained was how best to employ her abilities for this Galaxy? Navigating down the boulevard, she flagged down an air taxi and clambered into the back seat.

"Where too, Ma'am?" Queried the Salarian driver.

"the Dagon Hotel, please," she answered. The taxi took to the sky, following the air lanes at a decent speed while Aran took in the sights of the impressive city: all gleaming metal and white stone, interwoven with verdant vegetation and formless abstract statues.

The cabbie seemed to notice her fascination with the surrounding cityscape.

"Been away from the heart of your people's civilization for a while?" He chatted congenially. Samus turned to look at him in his rear-view mirror.

"Never been; what about you?"

"Likewise. I've not even set foot on Mannovai, let alone Sur'kesh."

He continued babbling away for the entire journey, Samus was content to listen to the ordinary and mundane — a restful pit-stop between the high stakes games of information brokering and the building up of connections, interspersed with bouts of visceral combat.

Eventually the animated Salarian cab driver brought his hover taxi in to land at the plaza of a particularly sumptuous skyscraper of a hotel.

"Here we are, Ma'am. Thanks for listening to me prattle on; not many of your kind can keep up with our exchanges."

"The pleasure was all mine - keep the change," she said warmly, passing over a one hundred credit chip.

"Many thanks, Human." The Salarian reciprocated cheerfully as Aran exited the vehicle and headed for the hotel lobby.

Minutes later, Samus appraised her single-suite room, handed the bell girl a list for her itinerary and a generous stipend for her task, then closed the door.

The view from the thirtieth story was spectacular, but she turned away after a seconds surveillance and sat at the medium-sized oak table, placing her coat around the chair's back.

Opening her omni tool, she swept Qaitus' assorted files onto the public terminal, (which she jail broke from the main system), and systematically rifled through them. Most pertained to pirate activity in the Verge and even records that could be criminally damaging if ever shown in court.

Most fascinatingly though was the list of celestial bodies that played host to criminal strongholds: Nonuel, Torfan, Mavigon and Sharjila just to name a few. she sighed, that was all very well but it would be inadmissible if not confirmed by another military spy network. The Shadow Broker, a clandestine information service, operant above and beyond society would pay handsomely for such vital data concerning the Terminus scum. But money was not a problem and 'Shepard' already had contact between many Shadow Broker operatives thanks to the Malkovich proxies.

No, what was vital was imparting this info to the Systems Alliance, who in effect patrolled most of unsettled space. Rising to such a height of influence would take time, but it would be necessary to implement her long-term plan of defence. Therefore, the only logical path was to join the military, work her way up the ranks and hope that somewhere, somehow, she would be able to avert the cataclysm to come. Aran did not like eyeballing an objective. But sometimes it was all you could do, no matter how much you prepared.

Aran closed the terminal and deactivated her omni tool. Yes, the time had come to fully rejoin her kind; no more hunting, no final finish to the death alone against overwhelming odds, just the epiphany of solidarity.

With her own flair for surety, she reviewed the numerous bookings she had made through a dozen different IP addresses and chose one at random. Her public terminal read: ROYAL MARINE COLLEGE, KINGSTON, ONTARIO, NATIONAL DEFENCE FORCE, CANADA. (SUBSIDIARY OF THE ALLIANCE NAVY.)

_"Canada_, eh?" Aran remarked. As good a place as any; this would be a small stepping stone to reach Arcturus and beyond. Her fingers whizzed over the display, confirming her ticket for a shuttle departure to the Earth continent of North America on the 23rd of May, at 2:00 a.m.

A few adjustments later, and Samus had submitted her CV to Alliance Joint Command, as well as arranging for accommodation in Vancouver before heading to Kingston for stringent examinations. The fact that she was a biotic meant that the Alliance would accept her regardless of motivation or training; they offered incentive drives like increased salaries to such rare, and sometimes persecuted, individuals.

Regardless, Aran still had the remains of the day to explore Lowell City and to meet the buyer of Aria's frigate. Pocketing her room card key, she put on her coat and exited through the door.

That evening Aran returned to the Dagon Hotel, having spent the day mingling with Human culture, eating out at a strange venue called 'McDonald's' and appropriating a kinetic shield emitter that could be clipped to her belt. Using her electronics skills, the barrier was twenty times more resilient than a military prototype; coupled with her biotics it could last for a greater amount of time even under fire from twenty mass accelerator weapons.

Proving that bribes could get you anything, Samus paid one of the staff to transport her recently bought belongings to the privately owned shuttle she would be traveling to Earth in. Then she settled her account for the night after and left for the bar.

This particular dive was much quieter than Afterlife, but it was no restaurant; as groups filled the tables, drinking and laughing, their voices blended into one from the incessant chatter. Nearing the counter, two imposing men moved aside to let Shepard reach the barman, one wolf-whistled.

Taking no notice of the inebriated fools, the Hunter stared at the man until he came over.

"What's your poison, sweetheart?"

"I'll have a Boku's Blend." If there was one thing the woman was better at than computer sciences, analyzing dangerous situations, or even the arts of death, it was sampling drinks, and right now a multitude of different spirits were available. The curly haired barman raised an eyebrow but didn't question her and went about his profession. Mixing four fluid ounces of vodka, eight fluid ounces of lemon shochu, sugar, ice and orange-pineapple flavoured Kool-Aid.

The blended, chilled, swirling concoction was set before her.

"You realise that's 60% proof, don't you?" He questioned.

"Your point is?"

"That's a strong drink for a girl!" Laughed one of the drunks.

"I'll make sure you don't try this, then" Samus retorted disarmingly. One of the men roared humourously as she threw back her drink with an ease born of experience; not the slightest buzz of intoxication disturbed her sharp and ready mind.

"Give me one of those too, Leon," whined the bigger of the two men, his Afro wobbling as he leaned over with drooping features.

"No way, you've had far too much to drink already, Pel."

Aran extricated herself from between the two men and went to a small table with her back to the wall. Slowly finishing her drink, she spied the big man with olive skin and the ridiculous hairstyle make his way through the crowd and practically drop into the chair opposite at the round table.

"Hiiiii..." He greeted through a thick tongue; Aran had had enough.

"Look, drop the act; you're not impressing anyone with your amateur spy games." Immediately Pel dropped his drunken façade.

"Aw. Spoilsport," he grumbled, his eyes were bright and dangerous. Samus quaffed the rest of her Boku's blend then looked at it thoughtfully.

"Though I've got to say: your taste isn't _half_-bad,"

Pel's face twisted into a loathsome grin as she acknowledged the drink's placebo term for the meeting.

"Shame you didn't have another, then we could have exchanged more than just money tonight..."

He guffawed and slapped his hand down on the table top in his mirth, while Samus put down her glass lightly. Then, faster than the eye could see, she seized his wrist in a nerve-hold and pushed her index finger between the ridges of muscle on the palmar deep plane, causing a ribbon of razor blades to slice the nerves from his left arm, across his back and to his right arm, incapacitating him.

Desperately, Pel tried to hook Aran with his right fist or kick her under the table, but as soon as he moved his body betrayed him and shrieked in protest as the taut cords burned away his resistance. His head struck the table as she manipulated his carpal tunnel like a piece of spaghetti, trapping the ligaments resting underneath his bulging forearm.

"Stop! Ah! For Fuck's sake, stop it!

The nearest party-goers took some notice but they were not here to get involved and the bouncers were near the entrance where they couldn't see the odd looking scene. Aran drained the sugar from her glass daintily, even as Pel implored her with tears in his eyes.

"I'll pay you double! Double the money for the frigate! Fu — ah, god!" He cried as his neck muscles cramped and he slumped over. With an uninterested expression on her face Samus simply said.

"Deal," and let him go.

Breathing heavily, Pel transmitted the funds to her account with his own omni tool and she handed over the necessary 'papers' and keys.

"Nice doing business with you," he remarked snidely, trying to get in the last word to sooth his injured pride.

"You're out of your depth little man, spy or not," Samus fired back as she stood up - then she flashed a terrifying smile, "I hope you have sweet dreams now."

"What the hell are you talking about, you crazy bitch?" Pel snarled, right before she cracked him on the temple with the solid glass bottom of her cup, knocking the low-life operative down and out.

Aloof from the violence she had just carried out, Samus left the bar as if nothing had happened. Whoever that man had been, he was no Shadow Broker agent or Alliance spy and he certainly was not a civilian buyer. This was a new party at play, one with people at the lowest and highest echelons of Humanity's governments. Right now they were not important, but Aran sensed they would be... Somewhere down the line.

That night, Samus meditated for a couple of hours, then booked out of the hotel and took a cab down to the spaceport. With her luggage already on board and no queue at the private terminal, She was settling into her first-class cabin comfortably when an announcement for takeoff came over the intercom.

"Good morning folks, this is your Captain speaking; we'll be lifting off in approximately five minutes and the trip to Earth will take just under an hour and a half. We hope you enjoy your flight with Core-Hislop Aerospace — thank you."

Moments later the shuttle had left Mars and sped through the Solar System towards the its singular, truly habitable planet. During the journey, Aran scanned through her archives for any mention of Human Black-ops groups; there was no solid evidence but she didn't expect any, as a tracker she had a gift for reading between the lines...

In 2157 an anonymous extranet manifesto was published following the First Contact War; it called for a guard, a 'Cerberus' to defend Humanity against inevitable alien attack. In 2163, multiple star ship drive failures over population centres on Human colonies caused wide spread exposure to Element Zero particles, resulting in a second generation of biotic potentials despite the deaths from cancerous tumours. 2165, terrorists stole antimatter from the SSV Geneva. The only arrested perpetrator named his sponsor 'Cerberus.' 2171, the colony world of Yandoa suffered a similar industrial 'accident' as an Eldfell-Ashland Energy ship, carrying tonnes of refined Eezo, exploded in orbit, creating thirty seven more biotic child potentials. These links, these _connections_, were still present. As of last year, in 2173, Claude Menneau, mysteriously disappeared while running for candidacy of the Party Leadership of Terra Firma, a pro-human electorate attempting to gain a Spacer seat on the Alliance Parliament since their inception.

Aran scowled in displeasure. This group had been operating behind the scenes for a long time, they did whatever was necessary to achieve their goals — a trait she was familiar with but even she wouldn't go as far as to exploit _a child_ for her own ends. Nothing was worth that cost.

Soberly, she filed away her references on Cerberus; unlike the data on the pirate bands, this she would keep to herself.

Earth was not particularly breathtaking for one so well-traveled as her, but she looked on the blue and green world from her cabin's view-port with something akin to wonder. So this was the evolutionary melting-pot of Humanity. She had heard of it back in her World but had never considered seeing it with her own eyes; the Universe had been too vast, too rich in life and other species for her to indulge such a tawdry little dream.

Within no time at all, the shuttle landed in the towering metropolis of Vancouver; air traffic congested the skyline where there were gaps in the ascendant spires. The yellow dawn sun broke and refracted through some of the towers and the air felt fresh and clean. The result of environmental clean-up air seeding.

Once again, customs and security didn't prove an obstacle. The advanced DNA scanners couldn't even detect her altered genetics. However, as Samus lugged her two heavy cases onto a hover-trolley as if they were no lighter than feathers (baggage had sent what little possessions she had ahead), an Alliance MP in full body armour, minus the helmet, along with several of his compatriots marched up to her. They were all armed, though only one of the men was slightly taller than her.

"Shepard? Aran Shepard?" Their lead officer said cautiously. She turned to face them — some of their jaws dropped beholding her up close. Even with nigh two thousand years of Patriarchy inherent in all men, some were inclined to avert their eyes from her bold presence; she seemed to radiate an indomitable spirit, an aura of confidence so vivid that some physically shied away from her for a second.

"Yes." Aran replied civilly, tucking her hands into her pockets.

"I'm afraid you'll have to come with us, Ma'am. Several discrepancies were found in your files and our Internal Affairs Officer would like to interview you to ascertain you're not a security risk." He looked distinctly uncomfortable as Samus stared unblinkingly at him.

She wracked her brain; what could they have seen to make them suspicious? Suddenly it hit her. They had cross-referenced her CV and background files and she had unintentionally given away a secret that bore many unanswered questions in her eagerness to seem useful: she was a biotic.

Only her supposed 'immediate family' had not been exposed to Eezo dust; it was a direct contradiction from the survivor of a raid wanting to join the forces that had failed to save her parents. she would have to think fast to get out of this.

"If I refuse?" Some of the men chuckled at this, but the one in charge looked imploringly at her, knowing of what she could do with her brain alone.

"This is a civilian area, Ma'am. Don't cause trouble here; I'm sure it's all just a big misunderstanding. Will you come peacefully?" Aran's respect for the man grew a little; he obviously knew that she could kill him and his men before they pulled their weapons off their magnetic strips; that, or he was just humouring her...

"Sure, lead on," Aran reassured, shrugging indifferently. "You, bring that for me." She indicated her luggage with a pointed thumb over her right shoulder to the largest MP. Much to the man's chagrin he felt compelled to obey and pushed the trolley along as two men in front and behind escorted the tall woman along, with his superior at the forefront and him bringing up the rear.

Major Caleb Antella sat behind his desk reading the files on his holo screen intently. _"Caucasian, 6ft 3inches, 198lbs, blonde hair, blue/green eyes, place of birth: Mindoir, date of birth: April 11__th__ 2154, age: 20 years old."_ He looked up as the door slid open and Officer Fletcher entered with the woman on question. Fletcher saluted the Major and then stood by the door at ease. Aran started to step forwards, but Antella spoke:

"That's far enough, Miss Shepard." (She halted, looking completely indifferent), "search her." The two MPs patted her down for concealed items, finding only the Paralyzer and the zero suit glove. Samus didn't move during the frisk; fighting would not get her anywhere, not in the middle of an Alliance joint-civilian spaceport. Yet.

The MP brought the items to Antella and handed them over to him, he examined the glove briefly, noting the strange symbol – a partial circle with a diagonal line – then moved on to the gun. It was a fascinating weapon, entirely different from other pistols, heavily modified and from the looks of it custom made.

The Major was a scrawny man, his thin frame engulfed in his Navy Blue uniform. He had a hooked nose and deep-set eyes which peered at the Hunter with some interest as she was made to sit in front of him, the two MPs flanking her.

"So, Miss Shepard, you thought you could pull the wool over our eyes did you?" Antella sneered mockingly. She out-stared him within five seconds and then said:

"As far as I know, I've broken none of your laws. Am I supposed to be in custody here?"

"Don't try to change the subject, _woman_. Or I will have you locked up. And you'll refer to me as 'Major' or 'Sir,' after all, didn't you file your application just yesterday? Better get used to following orders. That is, if you are being _honest_."

This unpleasant man was starting to get on her nerves, but Samus could be_ forcefully diplomatic _when she wanted to be.

"_Major_, Joint Command wouldn't send you my résumé merely because it was exceptional; the only reason your department got involved was because you sensed an easy target for your particular brand of dissemination."

"How dare you!" Spat Antella. He seethed venomously and stood up, placing both hands on the palm of his desk, "the problem of corruption and _asylum seekers_ is worse than ever in a Galactic community, it's my oversight that stops us falling into anarchy! You are _not_ who you say you are!"

"And what gave you that idea, _Sir_?"

"You hoped to apply for the military, yet you lied about being a biotic; your parents were never within a thousand light years of a transport crash according to our records. This leads me to believe that you could have gone further; you have the technical expertise to bypass our scanning devices, so why not forge identification as well?"

Samus drew herself up, looking far more intimidating than the man before her. "That's where you're wrong sir. I _am_ a biotic." Antella's lip curled nastily.

"That is irrelevant. If you are, than you are lying about your background. If you aren't, I'm still strongly inclined to believe you are lying. SIT DOWN!" Their eyes locked; one burning with something close to hate, the other's scorn. Aran was manhandled to sit by one of the MPs; she shook his hand off and sat of her own accord.

Antella was breathing like a winded rhinoceros, trying to regain control.

Samus stated calmly, "You're forgetting, Sir. A lot can happen in four years. I became a biotic through surgery during my exile — the rest of my past is there for you to see." The Major rounded the desk with his chair and sat offensively close to her on the edge of said table, like a creepy headmaster.

"Don't give me that _sob story_, Shepard. I doubt you've ever stepped foot on Mindoir, let alone that your parents are dead." Samus imagined braining Antella against the corner of said desk. The mental image caused her to grin evilly.

"YOU THINK THIS IS _FUNNY_!" Antella roared, spraying spit everywhere.

"Just your antiquated sense of morality; it's charmingly fascist when you don't deign to _exert _yourself so much as to release closed files on the raid. If you had, I could have simply retrieved my details, but no, you just decided to push it into an alcove, ignore the rights of those abandoned by the system. So I enter it manually and low and behold! I'm made out to be the criminal because I'm part of an event the Alliance wants to forget."

Antella opened his mouth but no sound came out; he tried again to similar effect.

"Unless," Samus pressed further, "you think a maverick like me, a bounty hunter operating in the Terminus... Could s_omehow_ falsify sealed Alliance records?" The Major stood up and paced around, he had been outplayed.

"It doesn't matter; you've still been found with weaponry in a public place, plus you tricked our security systems; you're going to give me the names of any insiders or the methods used to bypass them. _Now_."

"That's a qualification. You didn't detain me for that reason and I think I've proved my innocence."

"I don't care what you think! Miles, Gordon, restrain her!"

The two MPs grabbed Samus by the arms of her coat, intending to hold her down while Antella carried out his 'interrogation,' but she slipped from her grey garment faster than both men could react; a palm-heel jab to the nose sent one sprawling to the floor clutching his face; a spin-kick to the cheek sent the other twirling back to crash into the wall. Fletcher drew his gun as quickly as he could, but his honed reflexes were for naught as she flipped the chair she had sat on through the air with her foot, the metal frame smacking the pistol from his hands and dazing him as it struck his head at speed; knocking him off his feet.

Antella gaped as three of his men hit the deck in the space of two heartbeats. He lunged for the gun on his desk and Samus made no move to stop him, instead she dived aside as Antella picked up her pistol and fired it, screaming like a madman, the rounds decimating his office.

The door whooshed open and Antella aligned his sights on the tall, silver-haired man in an Alliance, gold-trimmed uniform who stood there.

"What the_ hell_ is going on in here?" the silver-maned gentleman bellowed, Samus let loose with a quick biotic pull, yanking the Paralyzer from Antella's grip, even as the older man pulled a stunner from his pocket and fired. The Major's spine arched as the current electrocuted him, shortly before he lolled over his desk, unconscious.

The grumpy-looking Navy Officer turned to Samus as she stood up.

"Thanks for getting him worked up like that. I've wanted to taze that douche bag for _God_ knows how long," Aran picked up her belongings as he carried on. "You know, you should have contacted me on the flight, Shepard. This was my off-day and I wouldn't have let a promising soldier like you get involved with _trash_ like him."

"Sorry, Sir. I sent my CV ahead and the Major got his hands on it, seemed to think I wasn't to be trusted in the Alliance."

"Ah, that's just his way; his family will get him out of trouble - _again_. The reason I corresponded with you personally, though, was to _avoid_ this kind of trouble."

Samus wiped her pistol's hand grip on her coat, holstered it, then put it on.

"You know the risks I take, Sir. Trouble has a habit of finding me."

"Well, let's hope the military can curb those destructive tendencies of yours." Admiral Steven Hackett's weathered features crinkled into a lopsided smile.


	7. N7 Special Forces

**A/N: Just want to notify you guys and gals of something. I'm afraid to say I'll be taking a short hiatus from my weekly updates. My English Lit coursework deadline has been pushed forward to the 28th so It looks like chapter seven will be coming along the week after next. I'm sorry I can't give you a definite ETA. Oh well, good things come to those who wait! :) Did you know that Samus Aran was the youngest ever member of the Star Trackers Elite Recon Unit? At the age of sixteen she beat out _millions _of hopefuls to become part of this unique force in the Galactic Federation Police.**

**N7 Special Forces**

Samus had been in contact with the Admiral since the week before passing through the Daiban relay. Her story and offer had impressed him greatly, that and the fact that she had found his personal extranet address and breached the Alliance's firewalls without compromising her identity.

She noted the irony that while she hadn't told Hackett of her origins – her immediate back story had been accurate pertaining to her short 'war' in the Terminus. Those kinds of battles had been and still were her specialty; for the last epoch of her old life she had waged conflicts for privately invested firms, it had paid very well.

The omitting of the 'alternate reality' where the majority of these skirmishes had taken place was necessary not only for her own reasons but because even the unconventional Admiral Hackett might be put off by seemingly insane gibberish. But she was working on revealing this in the long run.

"_Besides,"_ she thought pragmatically, walking alongside Hackett, _"he doesn't need to know, no one does."_

Still, she had picked the man as her first ally for many reasons. He was dedicated, rational and had an eye for spotting talent. It didn't hurt either that they were of one mind when it came to military matters and he possessed his own; not inconsiderable political clout.

"That's the difference between us warriors Shepard and the pencil pushers at city hall." A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "They're content to bitch and moan about this, that and the other, while we can actually get things done."

"Amen." She replied.

Hackett chuckled into his beard, trailing off into a more serious tone.

"I know you probably don't want to hear any false pity from me but this is genuine. I'm sorry we couldn't save Mindoir, these past years probably feel like forty years to you."

"_If you only knew Hackett, I'm probably twice your age. Wish I knew exactly how old..."_

"You're not the girl anymore but a woman in full; and a dangerous one at that. I've never seen someone with that measure of control over their biotics."

Aran dipped her head in acknowledgement, surprised by his perceptiveness. "Thank you, Admiral. That means a great deal. I'll do everything in my power to help Humanity - and all the Citadel races."

"I believe it well, another thing about those pukes, they only seek to criticize, condemn and complain, most fools do – for them its always the brain that's trusted first, we trust our guts and by God I've got a good feeling about you Shepard."

Hackett continued to vocalize his praise, there was only a few conditions to their arrangement.

"From what I've gathered from your dossier you'll need very little training in basic at Kingston. Three months should be enough for you to get another set of Masters Awards and you'll need to show you can mobilize and operate in a team. There will also be psych evaluations, medicals; the full works. After that we'll make special arrangements for you to be added to priority one for Arcturus and our special forces program."

They stopped by a large panoramic window looking out as the day began over the city. Aran addressed Hackett respectfully.

"I accept those terms... How long does it usually take to become an N7 marine sir?" Hackett put his hands behind his back and replied:

"Well, that all depends on your initiative now, doesn't it?" Samus crossed her arms, looking at him shrewdly.

"What's the record?"

"Very few actually make it all the way. There are two hundred marines in active service at this current time. The fastest to fully graduate did it in about two years and a couple of months."

"I'll do it in less than two. Months, I mean."

Hackett grinned more broadly than before. She was definitely the one.

Retiring to the Admiral's office, he poured them both whiskey on the rocks and discussed further matters for Aran's placement; in a much more civil manner than the Major had conducted his.

"Now I understand you've got all your accommodations and other matters sorted out, you can be at RMC and begin today if you want."

"Of course, Sir." She swirled her glass, then continued. "I realise you didn't expect me this early but certain events accelerated my plans, I think you'll be greatly interested in the information I obtained though."

Hackett sipped his whiskey thoughtfully.

"Not even out of basic and you're already supplying the Alliance with Intel?" Aran swept the files onto a holo document and handed them to him with a gleam in her eye, then she took another measure of the spirit. Hackett scanned Qaitus' files for a few seconds.

"Interesting, very interesting. Well Shepard, we know what to look for now. Even though we can't take immediate action without similar confirmation from our own sources, I'll see if I can petition for a surveillance fleet to locate anchorages in the Hong system. The Join-Chiefs won't implement it for a time though."

"What about Qaitus' confession of an en masse attack in 2176?" She frowned. Hackett seemed to consider every word as he spoke deliberately and slowly.

"Once again, the Alliance can't make an official decision regarding this, which means I'll have to take certain _precautions_, like massing several of our scout flotillas near the Styx-Theta relay during that year."

Samus nodded, wordlessly voicing her thanks to Hackett; then they rose and shook hands.

"Its a privilege to be here Admiral. I look forward to serving with you."

"Likewise, Shepard. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

><p>Samus Aran was without a doubt, one of the strongest and most athletic individuals in the known Universes. So it took her a moment to grudgingly admit that the Alliance knew their stuff. After several hours orientation at the college and allowances for moving into an apartment in downtown Ontario; every raw recruit had to go on a standard 20km 'initiation run' that evening, while carrying full equipment amounting to nearly 90 extra pounds.<p>

She relished the activity as the group of forty potential marines tramped through the idyllic scenery of Bon Echo's Provincial Park woodland. Everyone was wearing combat fatigues and army boots, Samus had scraped her hair back and tied it into a standard regulation length pony tail.

Many were beginning to lag behind as they slowed to a jog. Aran herself, excluding three other women and six men held the lead.

By 15km, they had nearly run the circuit back to town. Now only the drill instructor, two men, a woman called Diana Cromwell, and Aran Shepard led the pack.

Victor Wilson, the unit's drill sergeant looked impressed as Aran came level with him, unlike her, he was not carrying a weighed pack. Wilson noted that Shepard was sweating just as much as the others but she was not flushed; or even out of breath for that matter.

"You take your morning runs on Mercury, Shepard?"

"No, Sir. Though I heard you have gravity settings in your gyms; I'll be sure to try them out."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't, by the end of this first week, even _you_ will have been pushed to the very edge..." He took a deep intake of breath, "of your endurance."

"Oh we'll see, Sir. We'll see." And with that Samus commenced to sprint at full speed, leaving her comrades choking on dust.

* * *

><p>Over the next month Aran excelled at basic and with her studies, preparing for courses on advanced technical systems, R&amp;D and Interstellar politics. At the same time she felt glad to have found her place in this new world; by this time in her life she had no more need for training but there was a desire to prove herself, something indefinable. She just <em>knew<em> that her advancement would benefit others as well.

Every morning she led her colleagues for a three mile jog, or broke a new record from activities ranging from an assault course time trial to firing range scores. In comparison, her studies were harder but far more absorbing.

Working with like-minded individuals catapulted her penchant for invention, during her seminars in Kingston's tech labs she reverse-engineered a prototype hard-shield, that by inserting a suspended nano-crystular gluino atom; (removed from her gloves sigil) into the inner matrices; the barrier's projection radius could be shortened to within a centimeter of her outline.

It would even repel hostile tech mines and biotic attacks, by lowering the activation-threshold of the shield to a lesser degree. Upon its completion, she wondered if she should patent it for the Alliance, it had the potential to save many lives. Yet she decided not to, the advantage it would give her was too great. Once it became public, other groups would pay a great deal for this technology and abuse it for their own ends.

On the other hand, its potential for future defensive tech was too great, in the end, Aran decided on a compromise. She left her personal blue-prints and the exact calculations for an eezo variant out of her final thesis, the concept alone won recognition from the Galactic community and Shepard's scientific peers respected her above all others. Humans weren't exactly taking the lead in most fields.

If only all her time on Earth had been that problem-free. Aran was becoming frustrated with boot camp. She couldn't operate any higher than the other potentials without seeming arrogant or unable to be a part of the team.

Mindful of one of Hackett's conditions, she strove to work as amiably as possible with the other men and women. Unfortunately there was no escape from the fact that many of the males found her extremely attractive; her vivacity and intelligence was another turn-on.

During hand-to-hand combat training, her patience had been worn thin over the barrage of sexist comments and within a second – a certain, ruggedly handsome, brown haired, strong featured Ben Hanks was laid down on the mat; out cold.

Taking Aran aside, Wilson decided to have a serious conversation with her.

"Christ, Shepard! you could have hospitalized him!"

"We had a disagreement, Sir."

"Bullshit! You can't let every sleaze ball get to you! I'd have thought you knew how to respond under duress considering you're taking these politics courses."

"Honesty's the best policy, Sir. And I've been enduring his remarks for_ several_ weeks now."

"Nice comeback, Shepard. But the fact remains, as a unit you can't let animosity build up. That's when people start dying, you need to trust each of these guys and gals with your life."

"I'm trying! Its not my fault if they can't be professional!" She snapped, her features infuriated and somewhat bewildered.

"Hate to break it to you but that's just not the case." Wilson replied sternly. "I realise you've operated alone in the past. Looking out for yourself and all that lone wolf crap. Not everyone's at your level Shepard, some of them will never be. So its your responsibility to hone them into a fearsome fighting force. No one gets your kind of skill without seeing real action; you came to us, the cadets respect you sure, but you're an insular person Shepard, gain their admiration, you gain their loyalty."

Aran was moved by his pep talk, she could not deny any of it, although she socialized as much as anyone, she stood apart from others, it lay in the rift between her greater prowess compared to the ordinary men and women she lived alongside – but on a more profound level it was ultimately attitude once again; she was withdrawn and didn't offer support to her new friends.

Facing the skin-headed, stocky instructor, she felt a surge of admiration for him.

"I promise you sir, I'll take every step to improve my own team building skills and that of others." She saluted him proudly. Wilson's face softened as he saw her sincerity.

"Good, soldier, and to prove it you're going to coach some of the recruits with Hanks."

Aran groaned inwardly.

The day dawned early but Aran was already in the fitness room, on a pair of gymnast rings, practicing her full arsenal of acrobatics, after twenty solid minutes suspended there; she performed a perfect dismount then toweled the sheen off her body before resetting the Gs in the room from three hundred percent – back to Earth standard.

Having already eaten at home, she began to set up the groups with their trainers depending on skill level. By the time Hanks had arrived, sporting a puffy black eye; she had already got everyone ready.

"I see you haven't left anything for me to do." He said sourly.

"We're supervising Hanks, I hope you're up for it." She answered, trying to withhold her distaste.

Falling into line, Aran and Hanks remained at the back during the jog, this time Samus noticed those flagging and boosted their morale with a steady stream of encouragement. Those hitting the wall managed to dredge enough willpower to continue despite the pain, her example inspired them to push themselves; and even Hanks seemed to be doing better with some motivation.

And so it went on, Aran began to informally instruct recruits from matters ranging from biotics and martial arts, to point shooting and survival techniques. The women of her unit idolized her and the men had to concede that she was by far the best cadet the College had ever had.

Aran practically led every class's training but the Alliance hopefuls never resented their model student, not when she was so willing to impart her own knowledge and experience to them. This was without even mentioning the host of other activities she got up to. Samus was the captain of the ice hockey and skyball teams and led them to consecutive victories against the boys.

The other lads tried jokingly to keep her out of their MMA bouts every Wednesday evening but gladly accepted her upon Hank's challenge.

"You're going down Shepard, you surprised me last time with me egging you on, now let's see what you can do!"

"I wouldn't want your mother to be unable to recognise you!" She hollered back, Wilson was there to supervise the bare-knuckle brawls, Aran got into the cage ring, dressed in blue spandex shorts, tank-top and wrist supports. Hanks had black trunks and mouth guard with white wrist supports. Each round was three minutes long and the rest of the cadets were crowding around; placing bets.

"2-1 that Shepard takes him out within thirty seconds!"

"twenty!"

"fifteen!"

With a ring of the bell the match began, Hanks advanced, hopping on the balls of his feet while Samus began to jog around him backwards, unblinking and impassive.

Ben made the first move, charging forward and throwing a volley of punches at Aran's head. She weaved and parried them away, counter-attacking with two slaps to the eyes, causing them to water and for him to retreat. A side-kick caught him in the abdomen and he was barreled over, gasping for air, backwards rolling to his feet he saw that Shepard was bouncing around him with a grin on her face even though she could have struck him on the ground.

Infuriated, he stumbled up – trying to get the wind back into his sails. Ben aimed a powerhouse hook at Aran's jaw, this time she stepped with it and seized his arm, utilizing his own force and spun him off his feet to land hard on the mat.

Once again she backed off and allowed him to rise, Ben now realised she was toying with him, this was no contest. Well he'd show her! He came at her and feinted to kick, she didn't react, and as he came up with a haymaker – Aran moved neatly to the side, flowed around him and gripped him around the scalp while locking up his wrist. The momentum corkscrewed him around as she revolved in a small circle. Hanks thudded to the canvas, Shepard's long chiseled legs wrapped around his throat, choking him, even as she extended his arm, threatening to break it.

Hanks struggled for about a millisecond but then thought better of it as his windpipe was nearly crushed. He tapped out like a man dying of oxygen starvation and she released him immediately.

Groans from some of his friends made him blush embarrassedly but they were drowned out by the cheers from everyone else. They only intensified when Aran pulled him to his feet and kissed him demurely on the cheek. Ben's frustration vanished as he burned hotter and massaged his raw throat:

"_What a woman!" _

It seemed she could do no wrong after Wilson's sermon. Everyone gathered around her during lunch or dinner to hear tales of her exploits after Mindoir. She counseled some who were apprehensive about taking a life when they reached active duty. Others she listened to intently, often debating philosophical ideas or the political situation of the Galaxy with the veteran instructors.

The green recruits showed particular devotion. Towards the end of her training, Samus led a squad of these rookies in a RTFA (Ready – Team – Fire – Assist) simulation against an 'enemy bunker;' on the geosynchronous facility of Fort Charles Upham. The tests results became a legendary benchmark and her troops were recommended for early enlistment.

If all of her successes on a personal level were not enough: (she had made life-long ties with many of her colleagues, going so far as to indulge in some casual flings with men and women alike.) On the 30th July, at the peak of summer – Samus took her finals on systems architecture, decryption research and Galactic law.

Surpassing expectations, she gained distinction in all three advanced courses. Drawing the attention of numerous cooperation analysts and offers from various Citadel businesses for work placements; they were all politely refused. Aran's skills were really being noticed by the Alliance High Command now. The Media at large had even interviewed her, declaring that she was: "an inspiration, a paragon of humanity."

Somewhat uncomfortably, Samus had given her 'blessings' to the Alliance Parliament to petition for a new settlement on Mindoir. It was a PR stunt but there was no denying that her popularity was increasing along with her presence in the spot light.

* * *

><p>The higher ups listened intently as Admiral Steven Hackett outlined and explained why this incredible Human-being should be accepted into Arcturus's Special Forces Program.<p>

"A prodigy, gentleman. And I don't use the word lightly. In spite of everything fate has thrown at her she continues to lead by example. As a poster child for the Alliance and Humanity she has the potential to outdo John Grissom with her excellence; its only a matter of time before our trade partners on the Citadel and the greater Galactic community notice her.

One of the suits perked up: "Hackett, are you saying we might have a potential candidate for the Spectres?"

"That's exactly what I'm inferring General Chan. Its not everyday a self-taught mercenary joins the military. In terms of her personality and her skills; its like she was sent by providence."

Major Antella snorted uncouthly, Hackett clenched his fist as the mewling excuse for a man addressed those assembled.

"Its true, her records are superlative, personality tests claim she is politically savvy, charismatic, unbiased, adored by fellows and superiors alike." He laced each word with unmistakable venom.

"Yeah, everything you're not Caleb. Does this have a point?" Growled Hackett. Antella looked mutinous but he dared not directly contradict his superior officer; not after the incident in Vancouver.

"I was merely suggesting, _Sir_, that the matters regarding Aran Shepard be looked into more closely. Her psychological evaluation leaves a lot to be desired."

"You mean the fact that she has a moderate case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Stated Hackett conversationally.

"_More_ than moderate according to some experts. They hypothesise that she may have once been rendered catatonic by the horrors she saw on her home world. Her parents consumed by flame throwers, friends blown to smithereens. The raid was only four years ago for God's sake! You honestly think she's stable enough,_ trusted_ enough, to be a part of the N7s?"

Some of the bigwigs shook their heads at the Major's outburst while others seemed swayed; then Hackett spoke menacingly.

"If anything she'd be stronger for the trials to come, and we have no right to reject her claim to join the N7 program. Now, who believes we should grant her top priority clearance as of August 24th?"

Hands were raised. Votes were cast. And Hackett nodded approvingly.

* * *

><p>It was the morning of August 17th 2174. Samus Aran rolled out of bed as her body's internal clock reached 6:00 a.m. on the dot. Crashed next to her, in a deep slumber was Private 1st Class Ben Hanks; Completely drained from their nocturnal activities.<p>

_"He's lucky I didn't break his pelvis." _She thought, amused, he was a good one at heart but he still had a long way to go if he wanted to serve Humanity.

_"Couldn't even service me." _She laughed, while throwing his trousers onto his face, causing him to stir fitfully.

"Rise and shine, soldier!" She barked in an imitation of drill instructor Wilson, the fact that she had a Canadian lilt to her voice after living in Ontario for over three months helped quite a bit; causing him to tumble out of bed in fright.

The woman known to her colleagues as Aran Shepard shrieked with mirth as Ben tried to free himself from the tangled duvets. He chortled gleefully himself after he was untied, then they both did some morning work-outs together.

Ben, impressively did fifty clap push-ups. He looked to the right during them to see his bed-fellow banging out one armed push-ups with nothing but her thumb and index finger for support. Then she did it without toe support.

"_Jesus wept!"_ He thought weakly

After Samus had done one hundred of these, on each arm, she went to shower first, pent up as he was Ben decided to join her in the steamy bathroom and see if he could do better this time...

Beaten yet again, Ben realised he would probably never be with a woman this aggressive and domineering in the sack again. In a way he was glad, secretly though; he was disappointed.

Samus had had much more free time since the confirmation of her Master's Degrees. Often eating (and drinking) out with the gang, playing sports or taking part in paintball games, there had also been hikes, rock-climbing and kayaking.

_"All in all,"_ Aran contemplated, _"it's been a strange period of my life, transitional, (I've never gone so long without killing someone) and dare I say it, its kind of enjoyable not to have to..."_ She tucked in to breakfast with gusto, Ben and several of her friends who lived in the spacious apartment block joined her.

Conversation was animated and lively at the table. Inevitably Diana steered the talk away from the Treaty of Faraxien and back to her best friend..

"So, girl. I hear today's the day you get a reply back from the brass at Arcturus."

Aran winked knowingly but continued to busy herself with her scrambled eggs and black coffee. Mark Jensen, a burly red-headed friend of Ben's picked up on the unspoken thread.

"Hey, that's right. Come on Shep, we are going to throw you a leaving party, all of this week!"

Aran frowned perplexedly over the top of her coffee cup.

"I don't even know if I've got in, Jensen. They may have refused my application."

"And we'll have a Council seat by next week!" Mocked Ben childishly. "There's no way they can refuse you, babe. Not after all those Guinness World Records you set, the prestige you've brought Canada, then there's your past - "

"Leave my past out of it, Hanks. You know I don't like talking about it."

"Sorry Shep, but I've heard that the Maple tree's Alliance Parliamentarian is going to make you an honorary citizen."

Samus basked in the excited nature of her friends. It was true, her achievements reflected very well on Kingston and its enlisted servicemen and women.

In fact, she had to acknowledge that she was going to miss the people she had got to know for a quarter of a year; as well as the natural beauty of Earth.

During the mornings team-building exercises. The entire year's recruits had come down to the sandbanks of Charleston lake and were working together to shift weights in small groups up and down the loamy shore.

The enigmatic huntress, now a beloved soldier tackled the objective head on. Despite her efforts to hide her imposing strength she had still gained a reputation for being as powerful as any three of the men together due to her height and physique.

Said muscle was being used to haul the half ton weights with five others, it required co-ordination, grit and plenty of straining tendons as they navigated the treacherous footing of the bumpy ground.

An hour later, the whole beach had been churned up into a muddy quagmire, thunderheads were gathering above as the marines in training slapped their buddies on the back heartily and congratulated each other.

Covered from head to toe in mud, the lads started to wrestle, trying to pin one another down. Samus stood awhile off reading an incoming message on her omni tool.

_*INCOMING TRANSMISSION*_

_To Aran Shepard_

_Its my pleasure to inform you that Arcturus has accepted your application to the N7 Special Forces Program. Make good use of it, you're the cream of the crop now Shepard, an example for all of our kind. I hear you've also put Kingston on the map, that's to be expected; after all, you know where you came from. You'll report to me once you reach the station and then you'll get underway. We're privileged to have you with us. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Admiral Steven Hackett. _

Aran mused to herself. _"Yes, I know where I come from, I come from the planet Zebes of FS-176 and K-2L before that. I am also a bastion of Earth, sworn to defend it and her people. I will not fail."_

Her moment of serious pondering was interrupted by a mud ball splatting into her face. Spitting the muck out of her mouth Samus saw Ben and his mates doubled over with laughter.

"Jokes on you guys, I've got a place at Arcturus and I'll be leaving you soon." She yelled back indignantly.

The guys quietened down, though many of them wouldn't dare to admit she had become a mentor figure in their eyes and they would be sorrowful to see her move on while they fell back under the complete rule of thumb of drill instructor Victor Wilson.

"Well, we'll all make this last week memorable Shep, count on that!" Roared Mark over the wind and the first patter of rain drops coming down on the trampled ground.

"I'm already filthy thanks to you children, what do say to a little wager to kick off the leaving party for me?" The bunch of twenty strapping young men tentatively came forward.

"And that would be?"

"I'll give each of you a hundred credits if you can pin me down; _all_ of you on me."

"If you win?" Called Ben as the heavens opened and heavy bullet drops of rain pounded down, making the ground even slipperier under foot.

"You each give me five credits!" She yelled back over the gale.

"Come on lads! Shepard's giving money away!" They cheered and surged forward like an army of linebackers.

The competition began.

Deciding to give her friends a fighting chance, Samus attempted to leap up from the mud, becoming partially stuck and nearly falling over. Mark reached her first, wrapping his arms around her midriff and legs, he lifted her onto his shoulder and spun her round like a tea cups and saucers ride.

His fun ended all to soon as his boot sank down into the saturated soil and he flailed out with his arms - trying to balance himself comically only for her heavy frame to land on top of his back and dunk him into a dirt bath.

Teddy-rolling free, the indistinguishable brown covered woman scissor kicked several legs out from underneath their similarly sodden owners; sending them to join Jensen in the squelchy, water clogged ground.

Ben tried to belly-flop Aran into the mud, but she caught him with her leg and catapulted him over her, grabbing his wrist as he fell, gravity pulled Hanks down and righted Shepard on his chest.

"Thanks for the platform rookie." She crouched cat-like on his abdomen as the others lumbered through the rain towards her.

"Ooooof!" Ben gasped as Samus rose and pushed her compatriots back with one leg resting on _stable ground_. The other flicking out with perfect economy and balance, her kicks were light and pulled but they still thumped Julian, Trevor, Zoe and Diana (who had decided to join in;) with enough force to mail them to mudsville.

Impetuous Oliver tried next, going in low for a classic tackle and managing to drive Samus back, she dug her heels in, ploughing two trenches in the mud and coming to a halt. With both legs immobilized, she simply strained against him, then relaxed, allowing him to fly past and inter himself up to his waist in a mud bank; legs kicking haphazardly up in the air.

Grasping his ankle she yanked him free, coughing and spluttering. Only half were out of the play fight and now; Aran utilized CQC.

Divining the centre line, she controlled Vargas's grappling hands and wind milled him around, splashing him in a heap and bringing up a plume of mud. Lenny actually had the guts to swing a karate chop at her neck, it didn't help him as she countered his action's trajectory, bringing it back up and around his head and forcing the rest of his body to follow after his limb to avoid a break; leading to an entertaining roly-poly onto his back.

The largest built recruit: Arkady Yezhov, bided his time as the blonde Voyevoda made short work of the others. He made his move just as Raghid was head-rammed in the stomach by Aran, folding him onto her back, then she straightened; sending him flying over her head as she tossed his legs up.

Yezhov grabbed her by the wrists, Samus contorted her body around, her height no disadvantage as she slipped underneath his bulk. Not daring to let go, Yezhov threw his 300 pounds of body-building weight down upon her, hoping to drive her into the earth – but, impossibly, he was borne aloft. Helpless as a squirming child, the two densely corded arms shot upwards to their full extension of two more feet. Yezhov spun nine revolutions before he fell over eight feet into the morasses and was promptly stunned.

Surrounded by the last six of the trainees, Aran cajoled them to work together as a unit instead of coming at her as individuals, and though it cost them some knocks; they managed to wrestle Samus playfully to the ground. Inherently she found herself luxuriating in the feel of wet earth and icy rain water against her skin, it felt alive, bounteous: The very opposite of the dry plains of Crateria. This was a good home.

Applauding, the recruits pulled Aran to her feet and carried her on their shoulders back along the banks. By allowing them to grow and adapt, as well as displaying the fighting acumen that could one day be theirs – Samus knew that she had gained both their admiration and respect at long last.

The last week in Ontario sped by in time's quiet way. Probably because of all the partying that years recruits got up to – celebrating that one of RMC's own had been accepted into the N7s. When Shepard gave her unit the money she owed them, they all pooled it to buy her a customizable grade ten Onyx hard suit, no words were needed; since Aran knew the armour had cost them much more than two thousand credits. Eventually the celebrations began to wind down and their champion graduated from basic, heading for the Arcturus System and the military and political headquarters of the Systems Alliance.

Samus Aran looked from her star-board view port to see the gargantuan, metallic, Stanford-Torus-type space station looming high above the reflective blue gas giant of Themis. Out of hundreds of thousands of troops, only forty had been accepted into the N7 academy that year; many would not endure the elite training to come.

On the flight from Earth, the huntress had been introduced to several of the men and women she would be working alongside. There was the quiet Jane Hatchel, bawdy Robert Thompson and nervous Martin Lowe to name a few. Yet the one who caught her attention the most was not a potential but an on-duty N3 marine who was accompanying the recruits back from Earth.

He was muscular in a lean, panther-like way, Chinese and Slavic features, with close cropped black hair and an Ouroborus tattoo on the back of his neck. He carried himself with the poise of a professional killer; to Aran's trained eye he exuded this quality in his unconscious mannerisms. The rigid stillness, as if every sinew was coiled in readiness for violence.

Since he was sitting in the fifth seated row of the shuttle, with Aran seated right next to him they had both introduced each other. His name – was Kai Leng.

Her room overlooked the halo ring of the station crowning the planet below; it housed forty five thousand people: ranging from dreadnought pilots to high-ranking Fleet Commanders. As a Corporal, Shepard was at the highest attainable rank for an enlisted soldier. Now was the time for her second career in the military to begin in earnest; as she fixed her eyes on the awesome cerulean planetoid below.

* * *

><p>Sixty thousand light years away, the leader of the black ops organization Cerberus sat gazing through a tinted window at a blazing red sun, the smoke of his cigarette twirling around his nigh symmetrical face. Cybernetic ocular implants served only to set off this attempt at 'classical looks' and they scanned the holo pad emitted from his sleek chair with a horrible avidness.<p>

They were the profiles of every in service and potential N7 Marine. This 'Illusive Man' needed people of such quality for his wet-work operations. He would have to bide his time while his contacts sent out feelers for those sympathetic to a human-centric cause. In the meantime however, he looked at the one recruit who had managed to beat his record for five consecutive perfect games of skyball. She was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

_"Always did have a thing for blondes."_ He thought to himself slyly.

* * *

><p>Colonel Leo 'Leonidas' Jackson surveyed his troops dispassionately as he walked up and down the line of the last ten marines, the thirty others had been broken in five months and had abandoned the program; those left at Arcturus on the date of January the 20th, 2175 were the finest the Alliance had to offer.<p>

The 6ft 5 giant of a man scoffed privately. _"They'll be the best of the best when I'm finished with them."_ In the homogeneous culture of Earth, Jackson seemed to possess physical traits of both Inuit and Grecian ancestry, with the hard, wood-cut features of the former and the olive skin tone of the latter.

His last batch of N7s were all dressed for advanced hand-to-hand combat training in the academy's well-lit Dojo, with light navy jogging bottoms and shirts, some had wrapped their hands with cloth strips for protection.

They were comprised of six men and four women and as their drill instructor; Jackson intended to be merciless, anything less would be an insult to the reputation the N7s had accrued, even among the STG and the famed Asari Commandos they were renowned.

"Listen up, you feckless maggots!" Jackson bellowed, despite the fact that all the marines were already at ease. Some flinched at the noise, while others did not react at all. He noted which; they were the ones who could take the heat and would be suitably rewarded for their commitment and conviction.

"Now I've heard many good things about all of you, you're the best of the best according to your respective skill set in the military but any trooper who wants to earn his or her red stripes has to complete this course to my satisfaction."

The troops in question remained silent, Jackson continued:

"When I'm done with you, the Batarian SIU will look like the goddamn girl scouts!"

One of the women frowned, it was almost imperceptible, a subtle act of defiance to the Colonel's comment, always quick on the uptake Jackson was not taking any crap today.

"Servicewoman 1st Class, Aran Shepard! Got anything you want to tell us?"

Shepard stepped forward and saluted, then asked: "Permission to speak freely, Colonel?"

"Granted." Jackson consented.

"Shall we cut the crap and get down to the fighting aspect of the exercise?"

Leo Jackson was momentarily gob smacked. No soldier had ever gotten away with so much as a thinly veiled insult towards him. Now this tall blonde had stolen his thunder right out from under him. It didn't help the fact that she was disarmingly good-looking, with sea blue eyes that seemed to shift in colour from dark turquoise to viridian, as if they were the bottomless pools in a corral reef.

"Corporal Shepard, the same Shepard who interned at Kingston?" Jackson queried imperiously, trying to regain his swagger in the face of her abruptness.

"The same."

"And who completed basic training, plus three advanced courses in just as many months?"

"We going anywhere with this sir? You've read my file."

Once again Jackson found himself drawn to her tangible strength but felt obliged to look away from those bold, melancholy eyes; the only similar moment in his life had been when he'd tried to out-stare a Matriarch – It just couldn't be done.

To save face Jackson spun on his heel and walked back to the centre of the Dojo mat, while Samus stepped back and stood at ease.

"If you're truly as good as everyone says, Shepard." Said Jackson, about-facing and taking up a ready stance. "Then let's have a throw down."

Aran advanced till she was about two metres away from him, then settled into her own centered fighting position after checking the tightness of her wrappings and checking her hair was still done up in a low bun. The other three women giggled under their breath. Kai Leng, who was watching from a side bench shot them a filthy look.

Ready for anything, Aran adjusted her guard.

"While we're young, Shepard." Reprimanded Jackson impatiently.

"Don't you have two years till retirement sir?" She shot back.

"Ha! If you win this fight Shepard, consider my post yours when I retire, I'll even throw in a special commendation, I did when Mr. Leng over there beat me; _four years_ into his martial arts training."

On the surface, Jackson showed his typical bravado. On the inside however, it was another story. He had read Shepard's files and he knew her to be a consummate master of the fighting arts, instructors in basic had experienced her proficiency for unarmed combat first-hand. Not only that but her tests on reflex and strength bordered on superhuman. Most worryingly of all, was her medical report, deep scans of tissue coupled with standard interrogation training had revealed that over 60% of her skeletal structure, as well as 80% of her muscle, capillary, cartilage and epidermal fibers were micro-fractured. Meaning that a strong blow with a blunt instrument, even to a vulnerable pressure-point like the throat or groin would be unlikely to drop her; let alone cause her to feel the usual amount of pain.

Aware of all this, Jackson was still not prepared for the attack when it came. Her expressionless veneer had conveyed nothing of the attack as they stood just under a metre away – trying to glean anything from their opponent.

There were eight moves in the entire fight, six of them belonged to Aran.

Blindingly fast, Samus kicked Jackson in the knee, causing his leg to buckle, seizing his right forearm in an iron vice she swept her left elbow around and up into his solar plexus while simultaneously stamping on the instep of his foot.

Hurt badly and short of breath, Jackson managed to bring up his left arm to prevent her from turning his nose into bone shards by swinging her head back at his face. With a dull thunk his arm connected and threw her balance and proximity off, in that snap-shot in history he knew he could counter and win with a simple punch to the base of her skull.

It was not to be. Samus continued to fall forward, dragging Jackson's right arm over her shoulder, his blow passed over her neck and at the same time her calf hooked back and struck him in between the fork of his legs. Bolts of furious, gut-churning, debilitating pain shot through his body.

Contorting her entire sinuous length forward, Aran's scorpion kick / leg-lift throw launched the Colonel off his feet, over her back, to be cast down on the mat with the harsh snap of a body hitting taut crash material.

Because his left arm was crossed over his chest he was unable to break his fall, many of the recruits gasped in surprise at the quick turn of events; and Kai Leng leaned forward, captivated.

In the endorphin-drunk delirium that he was, Jackson was unable to muster any kind of defence as Shepard rapped him on the temple with her clenched fist and took him down for the count.

Awakening from his twenty second black-out was a blurry and ear-ringing experience for Jackson, not to mention the throbbing aches on his head, knee, diaphragm and balls. He knew he had been played in that encounter, he couldn't even remember being that outmatched since basic training at the age of seventeen.

A wrapped hand was offered and he allowed Aran to hoist him back up. She looked slightly concerned; as if she feared she may have given him concussion.

"Sir, focus on this point." She called as if from a distance while holding up a finger. As his vision came back into focus Jackson was able to track her digit's movements and soon a semblance of balance and normality returned to his lower trunk.

He appraised the Hunter for a moment. Then he clapped her on the shoulder and let out a hee-haw of delight.

"Ladies and gentleman, Shepard here has just passed this part of the course with flying colours! That is the level of unmatched muscle memory and subjective willpower that I want to see from all of you. To lead on and control your enemy just like this fine warrior here does!"

Shaking Aran's hand, Jackson looked ecstatic, Samus didn't know whether to thank him or to laugh out loud. So she did both as the marines, (including Kai Leng) gave her a standing ovation.

"I'm a fast learner, Colonel." She said diffidently.

"You're telling me, we can learn a lot from each other. Right now though, I'm sure you wouldn't mind helping me and Mr. Leng drill the others? There's not much I can teach you after that."

"Of course sir, I'd be honoured." Samus Aran found herself caught up with her fellows who extolled her with all honour; as well as giving her numerous requests for private tuition. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kai Leng sharpen his 17cm Fairburn and Sykes combat knife with a whetstone, then toss it upwards, twirling through the air to land back in his palm, it caught the light as he flicked his wrist up yet again; looking intently at her. An expression of utter fascination drawn over him.


	8. Commander Meer

**A/N: Earlier and later than I expected I've got you guys an update! I'm early because I managed to finish my coursework quickly, and the reason I'm later then I've promised to some people is because I'm engrossed with my PC version of Batman Arkham City, fantastic game! But I've pulled myself away for you guys! So here it is! Thanks again to my good friend for a pair of quotations! Posted for the 71st birthday anniversary of a truly incredible human being. * **

_"Awareness is without choice, without demand, without anxiety; in that state of mind, there is perception. Perception alone will resolve all our problems." _

_"Establish nothing in regard to oneself. Pass quickly like the non-existent and be quiet as purity. Those who gain lose. Do not precede others, always follow them."_

_*(Bruce Lee) _

**Commander Meer**

February 4th 2175. 1st Lieutenant N6 marine officer Kai Leng looked on as he pumped a 60kg dumbbell in a bicep curl. At the same time, he was periodically looking at the most promising N7 candidate in years perform an arm supported V-sit on one of the gym's balance beams. He had been here for an hour, she had been there on the beam for nearly two hours beforehand.

On his last ten repetitions before he reached fifty, he observed her again, as a fellow soldier he couldn't help but have a high regard for her. For the first sixty minutes it had seemed as if she was carved from stone. Every muscle working in tandem to ensure the incredibly difficult position was maintained. He usually worked in three G's but she was working in five.

By the time the last remnants of a hundred and twenty minutes had subsided, Aran was just beginning to show signs of strain, then she arced her form forward, her arms touching the tips of her toes as she flipped over three times before landing in a perfect letter-T dismount.

Leng halted his own schedule as Aran walked around a row of treadmills and stopped right next to him, leaning back on one leg and crossing her arms, she raised an eyebrow questioningly. Sighing, Leng stood up.

"Not today, Shepard. I still haven't got over the fact that you beat me and Jackson at the same time last week." He couldn't help but think fondly of that memory.

"I hope your lumbar is a bit better?" She said in a laid-back kind of way, toweling the sweat from her limbs while Leng put his weights on their racks and tuned down the gravity settings.

"I still don't think I'm fit to drink alcohol after that liver punch you gave me." He replied in mock-hurt. Causing her to smirk in response.

"You know Leng, you never did tell me why you were recalled to Arcturus. You've been taking active assignments for over three years now."

The marine seemed pensive for a second then he said in a deceptively calm voice.

"I was insubordinate. Looting enemy officers. So the brass reassigned me to another ship all those months ago. Then, there was another incident and I was recalled to tend the newbies."

"Why? What was it?"

"They put me on temporary leave for executing the leader of a Batarian slaver ring instead of capturing him."

"Was he in your power?"

"Subdued, yes. But after seeing what him and _his kind_ did to that colony, the women, the children. I killed him, with this very knife." He always carried said blade around, strapped to the back of his belt under the small of his back, though currently it lay in its sheath atop Leng's sports bag. "And I've got absolutely no regrets on the matter." He finished with a wink, signalling the unforeseen benefits that had come from being benched.

"That's understandable." Aran agreed as she hoisted her own bag's strap over her shoulder. Remembering a certain Space Pirate slave-driver on the planet Jigurad and how she had wanted so strongly to murder him for his crimes. Still, logically they had needed the Intel and she understood the necessity for Leng's private reprimand.

As they walked towards their respective changing rooms, Aran promised to meet Leng at the shooting range later, turning away the N6 nearly bumped into a young man on crutches who was heading for the swimming pool.

"Watch it, kid – oh sorry," Leng amended, not sounding particularly sorry at all. The baseball cap wearing flight cadet, Jeffrey Moreau sneered condescendingly in reply.

"Yeah, yeah, Mr. Commando. Be real tough and barge right through. I won't stop you." Leng's face hardened at this whelp's insolence.

"Don't think I'm above hitting you where it hurts you little snot!" The man quailed under Leng's glare and his cocky, sarcastic aura vanished when subjected to the anger of an out of favour special forces operative.

"Okay, cool it, cool it dude." Stammered Jeff as Leng refused to back off.

"Leng!" Rang out a strong yet feminine voice. Aran spun Leng around by his shoulder, who reacted instinctively and lashed out with a back-fist, she intercepted it, gripping his hand and gave him a disapproving glare; he looked at his feet; ashamed.

"What are you thinking?" She said to Leng in a deadly whisper, as the younger man hastily hobbled over to the pool, with a relieved: "thanks, Ma'am!"

Leng shook her hand off him and sullenly answered with, "I lost my temper."

"Be that as it may, you were going to hit a boy whose a sufferer of Osteogenesis Imperfecta for Christ's sake!"

"English, please."

"_Glass-bone_ syndrome, didn't you see his blue sclera and the leg-braces he's wearing?"

"Yes, I did, its just... I'm, dammit, Aran. I'm _uncomfortable_ around people who are – _different_. You know that."

Aran glowered at her bed-mate, she had known about this side of him, he hid it well but once again his posture betrayed signs, granted there were no aliens on Arcturus so it seemed he had to relegate the disabled to his discriminatory attitudes.

"That is not healthy for you. I'd be foolish to claim I was free of prejudices, but you can't allow them to blind you."

"Hark, I though that _you_ of all people would have a reason to hate _them_. Considering they were the ones who killed your family in cold blood!" Leng spat through gritted teeth.

"Then you thought_ wrong_. I don't share your beliefs." She tossed her hair dismissively then started to leave, then she turned back: "There's no _real_ difference between us and them, Lieutenant. The sooner you realise that, the better."

Kai Leng was left standing alone, his thoughts jumbled and confused.

Changing back into her civvies, (khaki-combat boots, light denim jeans and a black turtle-neck jumper), and tying back her lustrous hair. Aran considered her colleague's words. He was a xenophobe, plain and simple, and he seemed to have expected a kindred spirit in his bigotry.

On the other hand he was a damn good soldier. Aran and Leng both had an equitable professional, (sometimes complicated), relationship. Built on their love of martial-arts and guns. It took more than that to form a lasting friendship though, and she had noticed his mood change from surprise to simmering resentment when she had beaten him a few too many times during training. One of his less attractive traits.

However, it was clear he admired her, _"a lot of the men do."_ She chuckled to herself. Walking back to her quarters, she mulled over the events she was putting in motion. Pirate suppression campaigns had begun in earnest and it was only a matter of time before the N7s were needed in the field.

Her Terminus contacts also painted a picture of the gathering armies of the assorted crime lords. Soon they would launch their largest invasion fleet in the Verge, and the Alliance would be ready.

Politically, Humanity was still an important presence on the Galactic stage, yet they were no closer to gaining a place on the Council unless the established order was upset.

And in terms of the larger picture, the unknown was what truly bothered Aran. No matter how many updates and secrets Adam managed to beam to her; she was no closer to unraveling the mystery of the Mass Relays.

That was not to say she was not trying. Upon reaching her quarters, Shepard continued to read through an archaeological dissertation from the University of Serrice on the Asari home world of Thessia.

_Evidence from many sites proves that the Protheans were not the first to discover the Mass Relays and the Citadel. This cycle of extinction came long before. Ruins throughout the Attican Traverse such as those on the planet Zelene – _

After sifting through countless wild conspiracy theories and pseudo-scientific extracts chock-full of waffling jargon, Shepard could certainly tell the difference between serious scientific research and those out to make a quick buck.

This – Dr. T'Soni knew her stuff, she deliberated after finishing the lengthy document, its excellent analytic statements, backed up consistently by sources and facts. She'd make a good criminologist or broker if she wasn't working on long lost civilizations _"A woman after my own heart."_ Laughed Samus inside as she recalled her own forays into long lost ancient ruins, cataloging and categorizing new finds; (and often blowing them up in equal measure).

She even kept surveillance on the Perseus Veil, where the Geth Collective was hidden from the rest of society. These sentient AI were of particular interest to Aran. They were an unknown factor, one of the Corvette's beacons periodically, and constantly sent out different encoded frequencies to multiple cybernetic platforms. So far there had been no reply.

Any long-term plans would take a while to bear fruit. For the time being, Aran made numerous adjustments and investments with her fiscal resources. Ensuring that any equipment, vehicles, contacts and most vitally – information made its way down the various regional and planetary government databanks to her.

Therefore it was quite a pleasure to find out that she would be inaugurated fully into the N7s by the 11th of that month. Whistling while she worked on her Onyx armoured hard suit, Shepard tinkered with the inner layers, constructing an Non-Newtonian shock absorber fluid in her lab before sending the incomplete formula down to Barry at R&D. With a few more adjustments, the compound could be subjected to the conduits in the armour's ablative plating, increasing the fortification integrity by 100%. It now had comparable strength to an advanced powered exoskeleton's physical defences.

Further advancements in the kinetic hard shields, vacuum sealants, a medical VI 'squish suit' underlay and a helmet mounted HUD were refined down to the tiniest minutiae.

Her omni tool buzzed, signalling that she had mail. Surprisingly, it was from Hackett, he wanted her to meet him and her new crew; who she'd be serving an extended tour of duty with. It told her to meet them in control room 5.

Strapping on the Paralyzer pistol's leg holster, Aran left her room and was swept along by a throng of technicians, trainees, administrators and pilots all going about their duty.

During the way there though she was approached by several of her unofficial students on matters of biotic acclamation, omni tool attack procedures, sometimes friends who just wanted to stop and have a little chat. Her penchant for excelling was infectious for most and among even Humanity's finest minds she stood out from the rest of the pack.

As such when she arrived at the large, open control room she had a small crowd of fans following in her awake; graciously disengaging from the mass, Samus bade some farewells then entered.

Only Admiral Hackett and Kai Leng were sitting at an oval table overlooking the hangar bays below. Leng was dressed in Alliance regulation MP fatigues and Hackett in his usual gold-trimmed dress blues and Officers cap.

"Ah, there you are, Shepard." Said Hackett, positively beaming as he stood and going so far as to take off his cap in a gentlemanly manner before offering the chair to the right of him.

"Thank you, Sir." Aran replied cordially. She noted that Leng had also stood as well until she was could play the bad boy and the cavalier.

The Admiral launched straight into conversation.

"Now, the others should be along in a moment but I guess you two can work out why I've summoned you here."

Samus _hazarded_ a guess.

"We're on the same ship placement, if I had to venture."

"Spot on, part of the Fifth Fleet's wolf pack flotilla patrolling the Skyllian Verge to be exact."

"Another frigate." Leng stated disinterestedly. Hackett mistook it for a question though and continued.

"Yes, the SSV Thermopylae. And her Captain should be here right about - "

The automatic doors whooshed open and five people entered. At its head was the Captain himself, a thickly built man with brown hair and grey eyes, he was clean shaven, scarred and had an unusually boyish face. Behind him was his XO, a wiry, smaller man with an angular face complete with stubble, dark red hair and protuberant brown eyes; that bespoke of character and drive. There were also two other men. One was a slim, ash-blond Eastern European and the other, a nondescript, crew-cut, jar-head. Last but not least was a very bulky woman, with dark brown hair and eyes and heavy features; she was built like a brick shit-house.

"Now." Aran finished for him as they all stood for the new arrivals.

"Allow me to introduce," began Admiral Hackett as the two N7s stood and shook hands with there new ship mates.

"Captain Duncan Piers."

"Pleasure to meet you both. You'll be valuable additions to the crew. " He said firmly as he greeted Leng and Aran.

"Lieutenant Commander Christopher Meer."

"Nice to meet you both, and you are?" The Executive Officer spoke in a rich, velvety voice that would have suited a man three times his size; it almost sounded as if he was putting it on.

"Corporal Aran Shepard, Sir."

"First Lieutenant Kai Leng... Sir."

Meer grinned in an oddly disturbing way to his new sub-ordinates before introducing the rest of his squad.

"This is Second Lieutenant Tomsky Ivanov, tech expert." Referring to the pale, thin man. "Gunnery Chief Jill Dah, lugs around the heavy weapons."

"Careful XO, I'm a 20 year veteran. Hey guys, looking forward to working with the _best_."

"And Service Chief Luke Butler, our impromptu field medic."

"Howdy."

Hackett then took charge once all the officers had sat down. "Well, now that introductions are out of the way lets get down to business. As you all well know, the SSV Thermopylae will be gaining two of the finest marines at Arcturus by next week. Because of Corporal Shepard's very public achievements, she will be graduating from the academy as a full N5 in a few days before the expedition gets underway. Her first posting, alongside her elder colleague here will be on your ship, Captain."

Captain Piers interrupted: "I am well aware of that, Sir. The positions did not come to be open by choice, I'm afraid. You two have some shoes to fill; but I'm sure you'll be up to it." Hackett had the mien of a proud father when he sternly backed his candidates up with all reason.

"Currently, Mr. Leng here is the longest serving marine in the programme and the longest to be on active-duty. He's been restricted from solo field-work for his, uh, _political_ stances but his skill is unmatched as a soldier. While our young sensation, the Corporal here, has completed a three year advanced training course in just under six months; a jack of all trades, and a master at all if I might add."

Commander Meer registered an expression of wonder and intrigue as he looked over at his future colleague. She was completely unruffled by the eulogy, which meant she must receive such compliments weekly or more. He had never met Humanity's golden girl but like most Alliance soldiers – he had definitely heard about her.

"So which rank is she going to fill, Admiral? Staff Lieutenant?" Queried Meer. Hackett gave the Commander a pointed look.

"Why don't you ask_ her_ that question, Commander..."

"Sorry, I meant, which rank are you filling, Corporal?"

"Operations Chief. according to the Admiral's recommendations, he felt that graduating straight to the ranks of the Junior Officers would be - too much responsibility for one so unfamiliar with your chain of command." Personally, she agreed with Hackett's plan, training recruits was one thing but she had never led troops before in _real_ combat, it was time to carry on her education with a vengeance. And no-one could gain an N7 badge unless they did so with true valour. The fact that Leng had joined the Alliance military since he was sixteen, had served with distinction for nearly three years in actual combat theaters and was only _now_ being fast-tracked with Samus to the Interplanetary Combatives Academy; Kai seemed to shift uncomfortably at the news. Aran had not told him of this, and his anger towards the brass intensified for snubbing him, along with a good deal of jealousy towards his friend's abilities.

"Not only that," Hackett continued. "But the Alliance Parliament is convening on the day of your graduation, they need the publicity of a surviving colonist for the pioneer ships heading to Mindoir and they'd like for you to christen the lead carrier. As well as accept honorary Citizenship from the Alliance's Canadian Parliamentarian representative: Mike Engel."

"Am I going to open a concert hall and have photos taken with the Ambassador as well?" Joked Aran, eliciting chuckles from around the table. Hackett carried on with his warnings.

"No, Shepard. Though there will be a lot of media coverage. I suggest you all get out on tour as soon as you can. The day after if possible unless you fancy being news fodder for a month. As members of her first crew all of you will probably be targeted by the shutterbugs and vultures as well."

"Thanks for that, Ma'am." Said Dah light-heartedly causing the crew to grin and laugh again; even the stern Kai Leng couldn't help but smile at the silliness of it all.

"Watch out for yourselves," Hackett said cautiously. "Pirate activity is at the highest we've ever seen, you'll be patrolling the Verge and conducting tactical reconnaissance in the Kite's Nest within the week. Good luck to all of you." He rose and saluted his troops, they all returned the gesture smartly.

* * *

><p>Over the next two days Aran trained with Leng, Butler, Dah, Ivanov and of course – Meer. The Commander was a chirpy sort, not the kind of person she would have expected to lead considering he seemed like an enthusiastic child in downtime. During the exercises however he was relentlessly professional and novel in his tactics.<p>

Though he was in charge of all ground teams he gave on-point duty to both Leng and Aran. The former was armed with a customized, Kassa Fabrications Razer pistol, his combat knife and the fourth model in service of the Hahne-Kedar G-914 assault rifle; spray painted a dark blue to match his handgun.

While Leng, Ivanov and Butler wore medium-sized hard suits, Aran wore her modified, heavy Onyx armour, complete with a silver G-914, the Paralyzer, a U-36 MK. III sniper rifle and a cryo-coolant modded MK. X Sokolov.

The others were armed only with assault rifles and side pistols, while Jill Dah also had a hefty M-72 light machine gun and an Earth-made Shadow Works grenade launcher.

She filled the role of fire-support, Ivanov and Butler stood in for the technician and medic of the team respectively. Leng was the advance scout, surveyor and CQC specialist, Shepard the sniper, clearer and biotic specialist; just to name a few of her roles.

After group training on the third day, Aran and Leng stopped by at the firing range to practice their marksmanship skills. Leng's accuracy was about 80% at the end of five waves of popping, holographic targets. He decided to see how his friend was doing with her higher calibre hand gun. As usual she was scoring points left right and centre, as if she had the ability to lock-on automatically to her targets.

Leng had been firing from the trademark diamond position, both hands supporting his pistol. She favoured a wrist supported or single-handed grip and a reflex, point-shooting sight; both of them had challenged each other not to use virtual cross-hairs.

So far, Aran was winning the contest. Again.

"And, that's another perfect score, Lieutenant Leng." Samus said nonchalantly as she began to reset her weapon's parameters.

Kai Leng shook his head good-naturedly, there must be some kind of martial event he could win against her.

His eyes alighted on the carbon-rubber handle of his combat knife. He tapped her on the shoulder then gestured with a jerk of his head over to the public sparring ring. She grinned devilishly.

"Ready for round two." He said seriously.

"Two! I've beaten you _three_ times already." She countered.

"Only once when I was using my training knife." He corrected her.

"Fine, round two it is."

"This time though," he amended, handing her a sturdy, rubber training blade and keeping his own knife sheathed; "we'll have ourselves a proper knife fight. You're too good at disarming me."

"So I'm supposed to give myself a disadvantage while you fight with your favourite method." She said while raising an eyebrow wryly.

"Come on, Shepard. I thought you wanted to prove you were the best at _every_ form of close-quarters-combat; how hard can a knife be when you handle a quarterstaff or nunchaku like a pro?"

"You're not going to convince me by appealing to my professional vanity, Leng. Give me a more compelling reason why I shouldn't simply throw you across the room with a biotic push."

Leng gulped nervously as the pair of them reached the matted ring where several other students were being drilled; some of the remaining N7s were there as well.

"Quid pro quo," he burst out suddenly. "You drill me on some of your techniques and I'll help you with your knife-work when I've got a spare moment." It was the right and wrong thing to say at the same time.

"Only if you win." Samus said dangerously, tossing her training knife from her left hand to her right with casual ease, then flipping the handle between her four digits until it rested in a reverse grip at eye-level; her other hand raised behind the mock weapon in a classic, open palm, divining centre-line guard.

Kai Leng cursed to himself; she _did_ know how to handle a blade, very well from the looks of her shield hand technique. She had also pulled off her boots and socks to increase tread while he had made his little proposal; her stance was supremely confident, _"this girl never holds anything in reserve."_

The trained killer would have choked if he knew that Samus had not been utilizing her full speed or strength since she had arrived on Earth.

Martin, Jane and Robert, even N7 drill instructor Jackson had rushed over to be spectators of this bound to be unforgettable duel.

"Come on everyone! This is going to be epic!" Yelled Jackson, Leng noticed Butler and Dah in the circle of onlookers, XO Chris Meer was there as well.

With a flourish of his own, Leng balanced the protected edge upwards at an angle to deflect any blows away from his torso or face, in the hammer fist grip coined by Jim Advincula over a hundred years ago. He then stood in a loose, 'triangle' stance with a low centre of gravity.

Leng decided to attack first, rushing in low and drawing back his arm as if he was going for the lower abdomen. Aran anticipated that a trick move was involved from the obvious tell of his action. Sure enough, Leng looped his arm up and around with a heavy handed slash towards Aran's throat, which she simply redirected with a minimum shift of her blade's knife arm.

The follow-through sent Leng's sheathed knife over her right shoulder, leaving him open, Aran drew two quick slashes back and forth but the nimble man back-pedaled then parried up, glancing both implements off each other with a sharp thud. Countering, Leng swept in under with a manoeuvre intended for disembowelment but Aran cut off his swing by knocking his arm aside with her left then plunged her own knife towards his breast as if she were about to bury an ice pick in a glacial cliff.

No slouch either, Leng slapped her wrist's stabbing motion, causing her attack to veer off its mark. Both grappled, sticky hands keeping up the pressure, trying to bring their coup stick to land on the head or abdomen. Samus broke the deadlock by letting the blade fall into her left hand, allowing her to pin Leng's left arm under her armpit with a roll of her bicep, threatening to snap the joint. Wily as a fox, Leng dropped his own blade then seized Aran's knife hand in a wrist lock, as he expected she forced her arm down in response, trying to drive the weapon into his gut.

"_Christ she's strong!" _Before she broke his hold he released her wrist, the surprise tactic worked, allowing her weapon to sail harmlessly past his stomach as he pulled his belly in, this left him enough room to dive against her shins, overextending her lock on his arm and breaking it away even as he sent Aran tumbling over his commando-roll.

As expected, the move didn't deter Samus at all; who propelled herself back to her feet with a shoulder stand. Kai Leng scooped up his knife and leg swept back onto his own. They circled each other, looking for signs of weakness.

The soldiers of Arcturus were rooting for both marines, some wanted Aran to continue her undefeated streak while others wanted see if Leng could pull off the nigh inconceivable. Money and betting slips were already exchanging hands.

On the next encounter, the blades flicked back and forth, parrying and riposting faster than anyone could follow, Samus batted Leng's offence away like so much chaff then went on the offensive herself. Seamlessly transitioning from reverse to hammer grip she forced him back with a bombardment of high and low attacks, finally restraining his guard at his hip then swapping weapon hands as she knocked his arms out of the way and drove her knife straight into his chest.

_Thunk_, the solid rubber pommel contacted Leng's left pectoral causing him to stagger back looking surprised. The host of soldiers murmured in interest when they realized that Aran had once again spun the knife back between her knuckle bones during the attack so that the blow was intentionally not a winning strike.

"Its not over yet, Lieutenant," Aran chided facetiously before spinning the knife behind her back, under her left arm to land in her right hand again. Applause for her stunt began to reach her ears; Leng looked mildly miffed with his defeat but was a good enough sport not to vocalise it, in its place he flashed a feral smile.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Shepard." He rolled his shoulders, cricked his neck and resumed his stance, much to the delight of those assembled.

Aran and Leng collided at the same time, she danced away from his thrusts, played his knife around in a circle before pulling out his leg with a hook kick, running up his torso then spring boarding up and off his shoulder in a fantastic illusion twist.

Leng absorbed Aran's mid-air crescent kick by allowing the blow to throw him forward into a head-stand roll. Spinning around, he was fooled by a twisting feint from Shepard and was caught across the torso as her blade cut a diagonal line, it would not have been a killing blow but it would have been a twenty five centimetre long, deep gash.

Toppling backwards, Leng was unprepared for Aran's flying back-kick which smashed into his sternum and sent him flying back into the arms of the crowd; to knock five others down.

Everyone was cheering themselves hoarse at the spectacle, as Martin helped Leng back up he slapped him on the back and said loudly over the noise: "I've never seen someone last this long against the Shepard, or take one of her kicks, you're made of stern stuff soldier!"

"She can read me like a book," wheezed Leng as he tried to right himself.

"So read her then! You've worked alongside her for while!" Dah shouted in his other ear.

"_That's just the problem,"_ Leng thought sadly, he didn't know her greatly at all, true, he knew her as a soldier and as a lover but he could not get a bead on her motivations or the means that drove her. It was not hate, no, not like him. It was an unstoppable force; something lost to his sight. Why could he not understand?

In that moment he both admired and despised Aran and everything she stood for. Her consistent neutrality, her infuriatingly unreadable movements – and most of all, the fact that she could accept Humanity's subjugation to an alien conglomerate!

He thought he knew his heart, and that hers would be similar. _"Why aren't we more alike?"_ If this was the case, then he didn't know himself. It was her, she had conflicted him on the issue over the five months they had trained together.

He had to let that go, try to understand her nature. Then he would win.

With renewed ferocity Kai Leng began the duel again. It carried on for five whole minutes of parrying, striking, kicking and throwing, before he realized the way forward. Leng was exhausting himself, and he had only managed to score a blow to the leg. Aran was seemingly no worse for wear. As if she had been reading on a park bench; not engaging a highly trained marine in close-quarters fighting.

He become conscious of the fact in a flash of inspiration._ "She's letting me vent."_ Shepard was inherently benevolent, she believed in equality of treatment for all races and that was why she would never see such a selfish move coming.

A series of deliberately amateur cuts left him open to reprisals from Aran, he did not fumble for his defence like last time however, his face a mask of determination he dived against her offence, a tangle of limbs again as they strove for purchase, effectively Leng was impaling himself to get in close to his target, as he had expected, he landed a clear blow to the side of Aran's neck even as her own knife struck him first.

There was a stunned silence. Then an eruption of sound. Every man and woman present unanimously agreed that it was the most spectacular fight they had ever seen as the combatants disengaged.

Samus was impressed, not many people had the psychological will power to try a suicide attack like that in the hopes of taking your opponent with you. She found herself re-evaluating Kai Leng, the fight had changed him.

Later on, in the rec room, she told him that much offhandedly. Kai Leng seemed pleased.

"Fighting you made me realise something. I've got to take a stand, no more introspection while things need to get done. I'll be more proactive, take a party's maxims into practice, not just to the heart."

Samus picked at her food uneasily, "Leng, you were placed on temporary leave because of your strong views. I'd suggest you reign it in a bit."

"I don't mean it that way, I meant the outlook, the perspective. We'll be out there defending Humanity, I don't want any distracting conditioning; I want to be myself, pure and uninfluenced, like you."

"That's a contradiction Leng, no-one can be completely uncoloured or they'd be a blank slate. You achieved something along the lines of 'Zen serenity' when you managed to outwit me; though to be fair, if it had been real: your knife would have glanced off of my barrier and I would have stabbed you in the heart."

Leng exhaled wearily, "I suppose that's true. I doubt I'd ever really have the guts to do myself in – In order to beat an immovable foe. Probably throw a bystander into his path first to distract him."

"Or her, you're deplorable you know that?" She said teasingly.

"You know me best."

"I'm not the only one."

Leng smiled at her acknowledgement. Regardless of their differing views on Human expansion, there was always a bond between those who had spilt blood in the name of a higher cause. Especially those who had fought against each other; it bred a certain understanding amid the two warriors.

Over the next week, Aran had to take part in the political situation Hackett had forewarned her of during her inauguration into the N7s and active duty. It went smoothly enough; she found that public speaking was fast becoming her new forte. She was confident enough of her successes as Rear Admiral Kahoku presented her with her special forces red stripes and several medals of commendation. Afterwards, there was nothing more to do at Arcturus as Aran and the rest of the ground team boarded the Thermopylae and set off into the stars...

* * *

><p>Aran had been expecting an uneventful first tour. The Galaxy and its settled systems was just too big to be effectively patrolled. It did allow for more time to set her plans in motion. Though there was also stirrings, whispers of activity from beyond the Veil. During the six months, Samus became firm friends with all of the crew. She did not know whether it was over compensation for her solitary existence beforehand. But it was apparent that she had made more friends in this first year in the military then in all her time as a hired contractor.<p>

As such, when her 21st 'birthday' came around, Samus was stunned and touched when the whole crew threw her a bash in the mess hall. Captain Piers gave her a pair of expensive boots, Commander Meer, a new, suede jacket. Dah, a bottle of cognac, Tomsky, an endless series of holographic brain teasers, Luke, a book entitled _Tao of_ _Jeet Kune Do_. And Kai, in his typical fashion, gifted her a monster, carbon steel, 12 inch combat knife with a chest sheath. The contact, laughter and joy she experienced with her fellows put a strange new sentiment into the old huntress. _"This is what I'm fighting for, all of us. And the relationships we have together." _

Shore leave on Terra Nova came and went. The only incident was that Leng got into a brawl with a Turian and ended up in trouble with the local authorities. Aran's unrest over her friend's attitude began to bother her as she and Meer got him out of the clink.

Their first ground mission came on October the 16th 2175. Samus once again contended with disappointment as the team found nothing more then charred remains on the colony world, the raiders had been thorough. Memories best left in the past assailed Aran as the team shifted through the rubble of what had been a thriving community.

"_Time for you to disappear!" _

"_SAMUS! GET AWAY!"_

"_MOMMY!"_

When they found the corpses of infants, Kai Leng swore a violent oath then headed back to the ship; Samus followed soon after.

They had been too far away to respond immediately to the distress call, the next time, it was a different story. November the 30th , 2175. The frigates, SSV Thermopylae and the SSV Jingxing, in a joint-operation, managed to decimate three smaller pirate warships in orbit, then engage them on the surface with a squad of thirteen. The assortment of alien brigands were slaughtered by the superior training of the Alliance marines, there were four more N7 marines on the Jingxing, but Leng and Aran still claimed the highest tally of kills.

Amazingly, missions came thick and fast, Samus distinguished herself in valour and bravery when she saved Tomsky by carrying him away from mortar fire. Leng became more bloodthirsty, taking terrible measures with captured prisoners. Meer would not stop thundering at Leng that he wanted this done by the book. Leng refuted him, claiming that since the pirates were not part of any recognised military they were not protected under any conventions.

Dah reminded him that they still had rights as sentient beings; Leng spat on the corpse of an Asari merc that Samus had crushed with a warp.

In her spare time, Aran conducted a difficult experiment that allowed her to absorb the unstable molecules of the zero suit glove into her limbic system. The connection with her ancestral armour increased ten-fold, even then, she could only manage to produce a flickering orb of gold energy in both hands during focal meditation. Maybe if she was drawing power at the same time... It was a risky absolute last resort. Aran hoped that she would never have to call upon it one day.

* * *

><p>The eventful day of March the 10th 2176 arrived. Admiral Hackett had updated the Thermopylae of a hostage crisis on the jungle world of Predon. Citadel Officials had had their ship hijacked by extremists and they were holed up in a camp in the dense forests.<p>

Meer prepped the ground team, as they completed a flyby five clicks south of the camp, the squad of six rappelled from the cargo hold into the dark, green foliage. Spreading out, the team: who were all wearing three-quarters helmeted head-gear set up their positions. The Commander led, with Shepard and Leng on the flanks, covering the others. Tomsky, Luke and Jill brought up the rear, Dah had enough firepower to effectively cover fifty metres around the back.

Communication was kept tight, only hand signals were used in case the terrorists were listening in on the radio frequencies. Eventually, Meer surmounted a rise, then halted, signalling the others to do so as well.

He gestured for Aran and Leng to scout ahead, they crawled down the embankment, through the undergrowth and out onto a perfect brim, looking down on the primitive, wood constructed camp in the clearing below.

Both raised their visors so the sun would not glint off their reflective surfaces and give them away. Aran unclipped her sniper from its magnetic strip on her back and laid it down next to her. Her retinal HUD told her that the thirty or so occupants had weak kinetic barriers; this was going to be easy.

Leng commando crawled carefully back and relayed the Intel to Meer. Who then decided to break radio silence in favour of greater tactical control.

"Shepard, deal with those sniper's nest and emplacements, Leng, the sentries. Ivanov, Butler, suppression, Dah, with me, we'll bring these people home."

Like a well oiled machine, the marines set about their assigned tasks. Samus brought down a couple with well-placed head shots, then she snuck down and behind a heavy gun bunker and whistled softly. The Batarian looked over the edge to locate the source of the bird song but was met with a long blade sinking into his Adam's apple; he gurgled wetly in his death throes.

Leng took out three more guards similarly with his own knife, slitting one Salarian's throat from ear to ear, he promptly wiped the alien's mossy coloured blood on a leaf with disgust.

The others launched a simultaneous attack, Meer and Ivanov threw grenades into some of the huts, blowing them to smithereens in fiery clouds. Dah and Butler raced for further cover, firing all the while. Working as a singular organism, the dissidents were heavily outmatched.

While the Commander continued his frontal assault, Leng and Aran did what they did best; launching a surprise pincer movement they butchered a half-dozen each. Samus swapping from rifle to shotgun, Leng from knife to pistol.

"STOP! OR WE'LL KILL THE HOSTAGES!" Screamed a deep booming voice. Meer, Dah, Ivanov and Butler took up cover as the from the centre hut, a Krogan clutching a female Turian in a choke-hold with an assault rifle pressed against her temple stepped out.

Aran saw that he had a very strong biotic barrier wrapped around him, none of the others would be able to drop him before he killed the diplomat.

His side-facing eyes fell on the two black and red clad N7s coming round the edges of his vision. "Don't try anything! Or the bitch gets it!"

"Give yourself up!" Shouted Meer, "there's no way out for any of you, except surrender!"

"Yah think!" Snarled the Battlemaster, "I've got five men in there who will kill all of your defenceless representatives unless you let us get to our shuttle."

"This is not negotiable." Leng said, aiming his Razer, "you're not leaving here alive."

"Back off, army boy! All of you – " He noticed that the female N7 operative was gone. Yells of pain sounded behind him, the marines moved into action.

A Batarian holding an Asari hostage felt his gun being ripped from his hands, then he gasped as a knife cut into the soft flesh where his ear should have been; spewing his brains out onto the earth. The other four turned their weapons away from their human bargaining chips. Samus Aran knocked and held a gun arm skyward then buried her blade in his back, splitting heart tissue. The other three were too slow to respond to the attack. Aran severed one's outstretched weapon arm then stabbed him in the philtrum, teeth, soft palette and vital matter gave way under the terrible force of the blow. The last two managed to shoot her within a foot of themselves, their bullets were stopped by her hard shield/ biotic barrier. Seizing one barrel by the crook of her arm and the other with her hand, she yanked the weapons up, snapping their owner's trigger fingers then she disposed of them into the corners of the room. A reverse slash sent a geyser of red blood to paint the ceiling, a triple-set of sinking hammer blows reduced the final hostage-taker's hard suit to a bloody mockery of protection.

The encounter took less then ten seconds, outside and at the same time it was equally eventful. Leng opened fire, his round blew through the throat of the Turian hostage and straight into the Krogan's left eye, the close presence of the woman had stopped the barrier's envelope at that exact spot. Amazingly the Krogan did not drop, instead he sprayed his rifle chaotically at the marines, catching Dah in the arm.

Leng came around, and shot the threat to his team in the hamstrings at point-blank range causing the beast to fall on his stomach. Trying to gain another head shot, he was caught unawares as the Krogan wrapped his arms around him and began to crush his spine in a bear hug.

None of the team could risk using heavy weapons without also killing Leng. The icy fingers of death were closing in around him when he saw Shepard barrel into the reptile, breaking them apart. In a haze of pain, Leng watched as Aran sunk the knife he had given her into the bottom of the alien's crest, above the still whole eye. She worked it, as if skinning an animal, then twisted it around and pulled it free at an angle. Orange gore burst from both eyes and mouth, Leng even saw the truncated edge of the brain start to slip out. The Krogan juddered, then fell still; unmistakeably dead.

The crew secured the area, even as some gave their Operations Chief a new-found, respectful birth. Meer however, marched up to Leng and punched him straight in the face. Still tired from his near death experience Leng could only roll with it and fall to the leafy ground.

"YOU FUCKING IDIOT! WE WERE HERE TO HELP THESE PEOPLE!" He had lost control completely. Samus restrained him as he attempted to hit Leng again.

"Sir, not in front of the hostages for God's sake, we have to get them to the extraction point."

Chris managed to pull himself together.

"Sorry, you're right, as always, Shepard. In the meantime. Relieve the Lieutenant of his weapons."

Aran paused. "Sir, I began the attack, the blame and punitive measures should be given to me as well." Leng looked gratefully at Aran.

"You didn't pull the trigger, Chief. This is his responsibility, which shall be reflected in my report, of how he killed a Citadel Official in a serious lack of judgement."

Kai Leng turned livid. "I did what I had to do, _Sir_. Or would you rather I'd waited for that Krogan to do the same to us after he'd finished with his hostage!"

"We are not going to talk about this Lieutenant. The Chief got five dignitaries out of there without a scratch. You got your hostage and yourself nearly, killed!"

With a roar, Leng drew his Fairburn and Sykes combat knife and swung it at Meer's face. Faster then he had ever seen Shepard move – she chopped the blade from his hand. Undeterred, Leng allowed his arm to slip over her own forearm and strike her hard in the throat. He expected her to go down, clutching her crushed trachea but a fire came into her eyes and she buffeted Leng across and under his jaw line, he felt his larynx give and he fell back and into darkness.

* * *

><p>He awoke to a shimmering kinetic barrier, in the brig. He put his face in his hands and moaned in despair through his bandaged neck. The tribunal went and past, <em>"forced leave without pay for ten months, Lieutenant. Be glad that Captain Pierce and Commander Meer did not have you submitted to a court-martial."<em>

At the property lock-up on the Citadel Station, in the huge Alliance embassy, (April 18th 2176.) Kai Leng retrieved odds and ends, including his pistol. They had left his knife on Predon. So it came as a surprise when he discovered a sheathed 12 inch, carbon steel combat knife among his belongings.

"_Huh, of course. Why would she keep it?"_ He noted, tucking Shepard's former weapon into his trouser pocket. He would never be able to face her again; she had understood his views while others would have condemned them. He regretted his actions but not his motivations, those had grown stronger than before.

_"Think I'll drop in at Chora's Den and get pissed." _He thought aimlessly, then he remembered how Aran had felled a Krogan and many more alien scum with the very blade he carried now._"_

_Might even get into a decent fight..."_ He reflected surreptitiously. And off he went, walking with the élan of a hunter – down to the Wards.


	9. The Lioness of Elysium

**A/N: Whoooo, this is a dark chapter. I may glamorise violence for entertainment purposes but we should never forget that war is truly ugly. There will be one more piece of untold lore in the next chapter before we reach Eden Prime; until then - welcome back to my old readers, hello to the new! This is where the events of the first Mass Effect begin in earnest.**

_"It does not take a majority to prevail... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brush fires of freedom in the minds of men."_

_ (Samuel Adams)_

**The Lioness of Elysium **

A few days after Kai Leng's dismissal, he was arrested for racially motivated first degree murder of a Krogan patron in Chora's den. His records of violent and belligerent behaviour when in contact with aliens; had forced the brass to sentence him to twenty years in an Alliance penal facility.

Aran had heard of this not-unexpected turn of events as of a few days past the declaration of his sentence, while out on a mission near the Far Rim. Commander Meer had tried to console the newly promoted Staff Lieutenant but she was strangely withdrawn concerning the matter.

"You couldn't have known, Shepard." Chris told her soothingly, during a debriefing in the communications room.

Aran's brow furrowed slightly.

"I should have though. I didn't think he could be pushed that far, he was always so reserved but when I think back, I could see the hatred behind his eyes – because I once felt those same emotions."

"Not anymore though, what stopped it?" Meer ventured.

"Vengeance. When one devotes their life to destruction you realise what a waste hatred is. It can't build upon foundations, only undermine them."

"You're a _good_ person, Shepard. You don't take the easier, more tempting routes and I trust you with my life."

Aran looked bleakly accepting for a moment, but shook it off.

"I'm thankful to you, Sir. Nevertheless, you're a better Human being than me. I'm _not_ a good person, though I do try to maintain my Humanity."

"No one could ask for more Shepard." A warmth long forgotten lit her face, she seemed almost radiant.

"I should hope to be as good a listener as you are one day, Christopher."

Meer spread his hands in the universal expression of dismissive concern.

"You're my crew, we look out for each other."

Aran gave an affirmative salute then turned her back on him and began to leave.

"Shepard." Meer called as he looked up from his files, Aran turned to face him. "He was a good soldier."

Aran looked inscrutable, she cast her gaze downwards – then fixed her eyes on his.

"He was my friend."

* * *

><p>During her last two months of her second tour. Aran was informed by Shadow Broker agents that Leng had been recruited into Cerberus, ostensibly operating in a covert, Alliance wet-works initiative. It was not much of a surprise to her but this black ops group unsettled the transhuman profoundly.<p>

There was no oversight from the Parliament, or a coalition of government supervisors, like the Malkovich Shadow System put in place by Aran nearly two years ago. She strongly suspected that the Broker and Cerberus was run by a sole individual – operating on a pre-existing network.

If possible, Samus knew she had to gain allies in both organizations. Unlike the other alien sovereign states, whose forces answered to the Council, these two did no such thing...

Out of the two, she preferred the Broker for his impartiality, Cerberus was unashamedly jingoistic – a fact that the neutrally minded huntress found abhorrent. Still, she maintained open channels for any opportunity.

Since Samus was now the second in command of the ground forces due to her heroism, Meer personally tutored her on motivator tactics. Whether from gratitude for Aran saving his life or due to a seemingly excessive amount of recreation time for a Commissioned Officer, Chris spent a lot of his free moments with her on the Thermopylae.

After losing Leng as a long term companion, Aran did not wholly mind the attention, the Commander was charismatic while the N7 Marine had been stern to a fault. It seemed opposites really did attract in the case of the stoic woman and the fun-loving XO.

A major past-time, were drinking games between the ground team. Because of the inquiry into Leng's racism, the crew was allowed early shore leave on the capital of the Verge. The primarily Human but homogenized colony world of Elysium.

Meer had a great constitution for such a short man. Although in the end, Aran managed to drink him (and the rest of the squad) under the table by the end of the evenings.

* * *

><p>March 22nd 2176. Aran was sitting in a cafe in the central district of Illyria, partaking of a green tea on her own. She was wearing a variant of military issue regulation dress. And by a variant she deigned to wear something completely original. A deep, red leather, sleeveless torso sheath, zipped up to the collar. Her bronzed arms were bare save for her customary sleeveless gloves, which were tan, to match her army boots. Black and grey camouflage trousers were belted with her hard shield silver buckle and her brown suede jacket gifted to her by Captain Piers lay on her chair behind her. She had also had her hair cut shorter into a more tomboyish style.<p>

Taking a draught of the refreshing brew, Samus recalled the words of the crime lord, Zavek Qaitus, over a year and a half ago. An attack on a principal Human-held world by a combined Terminus armada... It seemed incomprehensible.

"_If only I wasn't on shore leave, I could be out there stopping those vermin." _She chewed over the predicament while she continued to enjoy her beverage. Her military career was going from strength to strength, her information network spanned the Galaxy, Spectre talent scouts would probably be watching her soon. But still she could not figure out all in such a vast society.

Nakmor Jesled, the affable Krogan proprietor of the eatery grinned toothily as Aran paid her bill at the counter and started to say goodbye. Before she could open her mouth, a rumble shook the earth.

Jesled watched as the liquids in his fridge began to shake with ripples. "That's not seismic activity." He growled uneasily. Samus listened closely,

"No – it's not. It's... Artillery fire."

So it had all come down to this, today of all days when her armour and weapons were back in her storage locker on the Thermopylae. No, she was jumping to conclusions, perhaps a weapons test had gone wrong.

That hypothesis was blown out of the water as a GARDIAN laser struck the mono rail station opposite the thoroughfare and exploded, the concussive wave shattered every window on the public highway, mincing nearby pedestrians; it picked Aran up and sent her flying across the room to crash through a thin screen wall and land among the tables and chairs – which broke underneath her.

"Shepard!" Roared Jesled as he pushed off the detritus that had fallen on him, his favourite customer seemed to have been killed by the blast. She was not moving. He could hear screaming from the surrounding areas, as well as the shriek of chemical jets, it was a full-scale pirate attack.

"Eugh, that's going to hurt in the morning." Aran groaned as she righted herself. Apart from some minor lacerations she was no worse for wear. Samus helped Jesled up from the rubble, they seemed to be the only people to have survived the explosion. The patrons lay scattered around the ruin, twisted from the deflagration's impact.

"Great, they've succeeded in pissing me off." She growled ferociously. "Jesled, got any weapons?"

"Just one shotgun, a sentimental item really." He replied as he took out the rusty firearm from behind the counter. Aran didn't need to look at it long to see that it would not hold up in any protracted fight.

"We need to get to the centre of town, they'll concentrate their fire where the residential and schooling blocks are."

"What about the spaceport, Shepard?"

"If we're lucky they won't have managed to destroy it on their first pass, we have about half a minute before they return."

"What are we waiting for then?"

Aran and Jesled hared through the panic-filled streets, warning klaxons blaring all the while, crushes trampling people underfoot and causing Aran to break off wherever she could to conduct extractions;one was a screaming toddler that had been abandoned by his minders. Bastards. The Hunter knew that the Alliance's patrol fleets massed at the Styx Theta relay would respond to Elysium's distress call. If it had even managed to be sent out... They just had to hold them back long enough for reinforcements to arrive and hope that they hadn't cut off the comm buoys in orbit first.

Jesled and Aran took cover behind a downed air car as a drop shuttle full of Batarian, Turian and Vorcha pirates landed, they hadn't seen them yet.

"I'm not one to run away from a fight, Shepard. But we don't even have kinetic barriers."

Aran responded by activating her biotic barrier, which meshed faultlessly with her hard shields, she was stronger than she had been on Omega, they just needed an equalizer...

"Only seven lousy guys. Come on, Jesled. We can take them in our sleep, huh? Any second now..."

"Any second for what?"

Aran heard the pirate frigates making another pass, this time however, the broil of battle grew louder as the capital's defence turrets whirred into life. The sound of the artillery would cover their approach.

"On the count of three: one, two, three!"

Aran raced down the street at full throttle, a biotic corona flared in her right hand, her golden omni tool lighting up on her left. The pirates were looking in the opposite direction, so it came as quite a surprise when five of their number was engulfed in a sabotage field of such power that their heat sinks turned to molten lithium which scalded their hands as it poured from their rifles.

Yelping in pain, the pirates dropped their defunct guns, their day got comparatively worse as they were tossed through the air in every which way by a gravitational shock-wave. Crunching into the surrounding buildings at a velocity organs and bones were simply not meant to survive.

Jesled shoulder barged one of the last two then he brought him down with a three fingered hand and blew him away with his shotgun. Aran spun close and to the side of the final pirate as he let loose with his assault rifle; she slammed the stock up under his helmeted chin causing him to relinquish the weapon, then she turned it around neatly and shot him in the sternum.

"You never told me you were a biotic!" Exclaimed Jesled, impressed.

"I'm a lot of things no one knows about." Aran winked as she checked the Ahial Syndicate Banshee rifle was field worthy. After that, they began to head for the main centre of resistance: _"I hope Chris and the others are okay, hell, I hope everyone will be okay. Dammit, who am I kidding?"_

A few blocks from their destination, the pirate frigates made a fly by from every side of the city – it was anarchy. Fire and death rained down, choking dust from collapsed buildings began to ruin visibility, Jesled's fate was sealed, courtesy of a bazooka totting pirate firing from an open roofed shuttle. The warhead struck him in the head, showering body parts across the road.

Enraged, the Raging Devil returned fire, but the cackling raiders were long out of scope of her automatic rifle. Now on her own, Aran soon reached the entrance to the residential districts, as she had though – Commander Meer and Captain Piers had set up barricades, soldiers were in the minority as civilians crowded behind them, wailing in despair.

"Shepard! Thank _God_ you're alive, the attack came down in the outskirts and the entertainment district first, we thought we'd lost you." Meer looked as if he was on the verge of tears.

Vaulting over the barricade, Aran immediately catalogued the fact that there were so few marines, the local garrison must have been hit hard.

"Captain, Commander. We've got to launch a counter offensive or we'll be overrun."

Piers shook his head. "We don't have enough manpower to hold down three fronts, they're not bothering to capture anything, this is a scorched earth attack."

"An extermination." Aran agreed despondently. Then the same fire came into her eyes: "all the _more_ reason to fight to the end! I'll rally what citizens I can if you guys don't object, then we'll have more than enough."

Chris and Duncan exchanged looks, then Meer spoke. "You really think they'll fight? They're untrained, they've got no weaponry or shields, we'll have an immeasurable amount of casualties..."

"And it will be a complete and utter massacre if we don't push back now!"

Ignoring her two superiors, Aran jumped up onto a ruined plinth and addressed the varied crowd of different species.

"People of Elysium!" She thundered, the mass of citizens quietened down. "Those spineless cowards out there would murder you and your families, for no reason other than the differences perceived between us! But I say its time we showed the Galaxy what collaboration we can achieve. Together!" The gathering cheered, Aran's words giving them a strength they didn't know they had. "After today! Every race will know of what happened here, would you stay here and let them butcher your children? Or will we drive the honourless vermin back into the Terminus!" The crowd roared their approval, surging around their leader, their figurehead.

"Captain Piers! Commander Meer! Take two thirds of these volunteers and cover the port and the schooling blocks, I'll hold the residential sector." Samus passed her gun to a Batarian civilian, then led her small army of around a hundred, including twenty off duty marines down to the wreckage that would serve as their entrenchment.

* * *

><p>Egan Had'dah, a hulking Batarian who often went under the Turian pseudonym Elanos Haliat, was in a very good mood. He was without a doubt, the self-proclaimed strongest pirate lord in the Terminus, even Aria did not dare confront him. And now that the combined pirate bands were led by him, they were making short work of the Human colony; soon he would join the fray with his retainers and wipe the Humans from this system forever.<p>

Safe in Elysium's planetary orbit, Egan watched the bombardment commence from his flagship; the O'Hara. Secure in the knowledge that nothing in this Universe – could stop his men from sweeping away all before him...

* * *

><p>A biotic push threw several pirates off the bank to shatter their bodies below. The combined forces of the Alliance's finest and the Elysian citizens were managing to stem the tide. For every man or woman lost, Samus made sure to take ten in return. If their blitzkrieg tactics were halted; then the battle would turn in their favour once reinforcements arrived.<p>

Mortar fire struck their cover, blasting some of the defenders free to be caught in the pirate's cross-hairs and cut down. Aran blind-fired her assault rifle with one hand in retaliation, sweeping it back and forth in quick bursts. Shrieks of agony confirming hits.

Butler was the first marine to die, half his face shorn off by shrapnel, spattering Aran with her comrade's blood and brains. She went ballistic. Roaring a war cry of the Chozo as she over capacitated the heat sink during her combat rush, mowing down over two dozen of her friend's killers. Her own shields were depleted in return, Aran barely noticed the shots that grazed her, diving back into cover as a missile struck the spot she had vacated seconds before.

"This is hopeless!" Shrieked a Salarian fighter, he was shot through the eye a moment later. The others seemed to be on the verge of retreating as the brigands began to crest the rise.

"NO! NEVER GIVE UP!" Aran guttered, shaking one of the aliens next to her. "There is no pain! There is _no_ surrender! KEEP _FIGHTING!_" Images from her past and present swirled together in her mind.

_Space Pirates rending the colonists of K-2L limb from limb, Ridley reducing her mother to ashes with his plasma breath, the Afloraltite detonating on the pirate's battleship by her father's hand – The explosion that lit the sky…_

Resurfacing from the experience of Déjà vu, Aran realized she was fighting the pirates at close quarters. Separate from conscious thought she pounded them to bloody pulps, no sound reached her ears as she became lost in a world of reflex. Action, reaction – cause and effect.

"_Never, _never_ surrender." _She repeated fanatically in her mind as she mounted an injured Batarian and proceeded to cave in his skull with three punches, bone giving way like tissue paper. Biotic blades extended, fountains of blood spouted out, deafening screams, war fully realized, made incarnate for many.

"_You. Will not. Stop me."_ She vowed, pushing another wave back with her biotics, killing and killing again. Shooting, stabbing, crushing; there was always another to take the place of the one she had sent to hell. Dah fell, a sniper's bullet through the crown, civilians were dragged over the ramparts to be slaughtered by the rogues below. Tomsky was bayoneted through the abdomen, then macerated by a spray of accelerator rounds, his body practically diffusing apart.

"_No, no, no. Not here, not like this." _Declared Samus Aran as she slew Ivanov's murderer with a chop to the side of the neck, severing the artery beneath. A heavily armed Krogan in full battle armour broke the defenders line, killing three with his shotgun, he faced the resistance's leader, bellowing a challenge.

She was sick of death, sick of destruction, but the same enlightening inner certainty, that higher purpose – called her to do what she did best. _"Never again, not on my watch."_ She intoned, remembering the Space Dragon that had in all likelihood eaten her childhood friends of the colony to regain his strength.

The reptile leveled his gun, Samus shattered the weapon (and both his arms) with a single flying side kick, the two combatants tumbled over the pirates, knocking them over as they rolled down the bank in a struggle to the death. The Krogan came out on top, ignoring his broken bones he tried to head butt Aran but she stopped his large head with her palm and began to drain his life force. The spasmodic movements helped Samus gain some leverage; then she used her omni tool to trigger all the grenades on the Krogan's bandoleer. The five second fuses beeped down, she got her leg under him - pressed against his stomach and forced him back with a heave to land amidst his forces.

Many screamed shrilly as they saw their imminent deaths looming. All eight grenades went off, obliterating over fifty pirates and causing their lines to break. Samus attempted to take refuge behind a boulder but the explosion's power tore through, stone shards peppering her face and hands, ringing her ears and tossing her back to land against the debris.

She came to in a few seconds, hurting everywhere. An Asari and a male Human were supporting her arms over their shoulders, they were carrying her back up the rise. Assault rifle fire and jubilant whoops signaled that the pirates were retreating – for now.

"I'm fine, you two... Thank you." Aran assured wearily as they stepped on and over the corpses of the attackers. The cheers of the defenders only intensified as they saw that their hero was still alive after diving into the heart of the enemy.

"SHEPARD! SHEPARD! SHEPARD!" They chanted as their bloodied and beaten saviour stood without aid, ready for battle.

"Die! Human bitch!" Screeched a mutilated Batarian pirate who had seemingly risen from the dead, pointing his handgun at her. He had been feinting, waiting for the right moment to make a final, desperate attack. Samus whipped her suede jacket off, wrapping it around his gun arm, he fired through the material as she yanked it upward and tore the weapon from his hand.

Looping the jacket around his neck, she turned and pulled him backwards onto her shoulders, asphyxiating him until his vertebral column snapped.

The pirate thumped onto the ground and Aran looked disapprovingly at the bystanders who had not come to her aid. Many started to promptly check if all the brigands were truly dead, or else stack the bodies as ad lib sandbags; she chucked the ruined jacket away after tying her bleeding forearm with a suede strip.

An Alliance runner from the far side of town suddenly arrived, panting heavily he relayed a message to Aran: "Lieutenant... Shepard... Captain – ugh – Piers needs you at the spaceport, we're trying to get our frigates off the ground... but we can't with their air superiority."

Samus noticed he was one of the few wearing a proper hard suit. "I'll bring some of my people with me, they won't be making another push here for awhile. Stay here in case they do, Private."

"Aye, aye, Ma'am."

* * *

><p>Egan Had'dah was in a very bad mood.<p>

"THE FIRST WAVE WAS REPULSED! THIS - IS - _UNACCEPTABLE!_"

He continued to scream obscenities at his second in command, Balak Fu'khed. A green furred Batarian who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but standing there taking this kind of abuse.

"My lord, we're about to send in air forces now, this level of resistance couldn't have been anticipated."

"OF COURSE IT COULD! Your men are sloppy, Balak! We only have two hours _max_ before the Alliance's fleet arrives! Cleanse those fucking monkeys from that earth! _NOW!_"

* * *

><p>Around two hundred drop shuttles, flying in formation blotted out the light of Vetus as they soared towards the main colony, intent on destroying the spaceports. Captain Duncan Piers gulped at the sight, there were millions of residents on the planet but barely any of them were trained – the pirates on the other hand were hardened cut-throats. The Alliance would need to utilise as many skilled soldiers as they had to win the day. Fortunately for Duncan, one such soldier was on her way.<p>

"Shepard! Incoming!" A Turian yelled inhabitant as rockets exploded around their small group. Running and gunning, Aran shot as only she could, taking out the heavy artillery circling in the shuttle above with a perfect head-shot. More armed residents then she could count were starting to accompany her to the port, roused by her fearlessness.

They fought as bravely as the N7 Operative, giving their lives for their children's future. Everyone of them that found the courage to stand up was a hero in Aran's book.

As they all reached the port, things really started to heat up. The GARDIAN defence towers could not lock onto the smaller shuttles, which were determined to destroy said battlements so the larger frigates could finish the job. Samus projected a concentrated warp particle into the underside of a hovering enemy shuttle overhead. Her troops then held their triggers down, pouring bullets into the cracked chemical jets and blowing it sky high.

Of course there was always more, better equipped and better trained then Aran and Piers' rag-tag bunch of soldiers. _"The training is nothing. The will is everything."_ Samus recited the mantra – one of Old Bird's wisest lessons.

The Captain had done an excellent job of shielding his fighters from the bombings, choosing a large hangar entrance with a mono-rail support track nearby, the shuttles could not get low enough to do any real damage. So they were rappelling more troops down to engage the resistance and demolish their cover.

Aran and her people quickly bolstered the Captain's ranks, along with more men and women from Meer's front. "Boy, am I glad to see you, Lieutenant." Said Duncan in evident pain, he had been hit in the leg.

"Likewise, Captain. What's the sitrep?"

"Those bastards are trying to flush us out with gas and explosives. Its working damn well, so we need to make a dent in their air forces, or we're all screwed!"

For once, Aran had to admit it was an insurmountable task, they were too many, but perhaps subterfuge would work better than brute strength; her keen mind soon found the answer, what it would cost though…

"Sir, you have to prepare these people for a tactical withdrawal, get them to Meer and I'll meet you in the central square for a last stand."

"What are you going to do?"

"Play these fools along..."

For a solid half-hour the Elysian's fought with all the resolve they could muster. The loss of life was staggering for those who had known innocence the day before. Inevitably, the enemy ground forces planted C9 on the mono-rails' support struts and withdrew to a safe distance.

Samus had been hit in the meat of her side, under the armpit and winged on the stomach, neither were life threatening as she applied a dab of medi gel to each bullet wound. She then tended to a disemboweled Human, crying for his mother with a trauma application that put him to rest.

Casting her gaze upward, Aran saw the shuttles making their descent, it would happen any moment now. "Subret, the missile launcher." She informed him in an undertone, the Salarian lifted the heavy ML-77 rapid fire missile launcher and rested it on her shoulder, from her kneeling position she used her omni tool to fabricate two spare warheads. Each power cell had two missiles, giving her three sets of shots – "_better make them count_."

The C9 raised the mono rail to the ground, Samus stood with the bazooka as the shuttles swooped in; their occupants jeering through loud speakers. Her first shot struck the windshield of the leading shuttle destroying it in mid-air. The second was crippled with a glancing shot, spiraling out of control as its mass effect fields failed, it crashed into a building and went up in flames.

Swiping four more of the shuttles from the sky, Aran saw Piers and the civilians withdrawing. The enemy came into land, unwilling to take the risk of there being more heavy's waiting for them. The ensuing fire fight was one of the most intense of the Hunter's life. As the rearguard began to drop around her, Samus projected intense bolts of biotic energy into their ranks, smiting them with impunity.

Unable to escape the pitched battle without injury, she tried a different tactic as she leant against her cover she roared in Batarian. "You picked the wrong colony to attack if you counted on a quick raid! Tell your friends, the Devil is coming for them! And she'll be there to greet them in Hell! Her name is Aran Shepard!" Some of the pirates seemed to actually recognise the name, while for others still, it didn't register at all, but a moment's indecision was all Samus needed.

Strafing from the hangar, she gunned down the more gormless ones and bowled over those at the front with biotic wave, sprinting at full speed she rounded the corner and escaped.

* * *

><p>"Move the fleet into direct orbit, I'm going to join the battle myself." Egan spat furiously, "first you underestimate their tenacity on the battlefield, now you tell me they have hidden SAM installations!" Balak was beginning to get a migraine from his boss's constant bickering.<p>

"It may be a trick, we had no idea they'd be this well prepared, there's also reports that - Aran Shepard is helping to raise the populace..."

"Shepard." Egan chewed over her name as if he had a really bad taste in his mouth. "The decorated N7 Marine whose the cause of these suppression campaigns by the Alliance?"

"The same, if we can kill her their fortitude will crumble, there's still an hour left before the Human Navy gets here."

"Yes, that would certainly repair my damaged prestige after nearly _a fifth_ of my men are killed by fucking settlers and a handful of soldiers!" Egan seethed in an apoplectic rage.

* * *

><p>Aran was hailed by the host across the main plaza as she ran to join them. Within a hundred yards of their makeshift cover the cheers faded away as they looked into the sky. The Hunter reached the final defence between the pirates and the shelters in the main city, housing almost four million city-dwellers.<p>

Turning back, she was slightly less awed then everyone else as the swarm of ships entered the atmosphere, the concluding wave of the invasion had begun.

Everyone took up positions behind debris, low shattered walls or on rooftops. Meer stepped up next to Aran: "I thought you might need this, Shepard," he gave her the Paralyzer. Aran nodded gratefully as she accepted the Chozo hand cannon, it was an extension of her own arm compared to the third-rate gear she had used that morning.

_"Too many, too many to kill." _Aran implored as she waded through a sea of blood, _"when will it end?"_ There was something disturbingly nauseating as the endless waves of Batarians, Turians, Vorcha and even a Krogan or two, threw themselves with burning hate against her. She crushed them underneath her foot like insects but she couldn't protect her friends from being similarly torn down.

Piers was forced to retreat when he was hit again, this time in the chest. _"Will he die too?"_ Wondered Aran as the ships above her struggled with the turrets, the clouds scorched orange from the constant weapons fire. Another platoon rushed their position.

The huntress attained several head-shots, hurled some through the air with biotics, then watched as a red blotch appeared on Chris's shirt. _BOOM, _the resounding crack of a sniper rifle sounded far off as Meer was flung backwards to land spread-eagled on the stone square.

"NO!" Aran felt the word burst from her lips in despair, her concentration faltered for an instant and in that moment she was struck in the back by a shotgun blast at almost point-blank range, her hard shields shattered.

Lurching forward, Aran was caught with two more blasts and assault rifle bursts, she was twisted round and slammed against a broken pillar, sprawling down the piece of bloodstained masonry to sit upright, riddled with bullets, dying.

Most of the citizens turned tail and fled at the sight of their leader being brought low by a sneak attack. The raiders gave chase, most ignoring the bleeding, paralysed alien. With an agonised rasp, Samus Aran tried to move her fingers to activate her omni tool, she couldn't, the rounds had done terminal damage to her spine, that and she was losing blood. Too much.

A dark chuckle caused her to look up at the man who had defeated her. He was a burly Batarian in Titan armour, his two sets of eyes were as dark as the inky orbs of a great white shark, his similarly pointed teeth set in a cruel leer.

"So this is the_ famous_ Aran Shepard." He casually directed his shotgun at her breast, "kill the other one." He said dismissively. Samus noticed one of the Batarian's bodyguards march over to where Meer lay, choking on his punctured lung. Drawing a pistol he executed Chris with a single shot between the eyes.

Aran tried to fight back, her features set in a mask of hate, shaking uncontrollably, but she was helpless, and growing weaker from her grievous wounds, a strange burning sensation started tingling in her right hand.

"Aw, don't be sad, bitch, you'll be joining him _soon_." The Batarian laughed evilly, then lowered the gun to her legs, "you're pretty tough though, let's see how much pain you can take before you beg me to put you out of your misery!"

One of Egan's retainers was looking gleeful one second as he thought of the torture to come, the next his head was split in half by a sniper round. The colonists had returned! Had'dah ducked as rounds skated off his kinetic barriers, Samus focused all of her willpower on summoning the strange new energy field; then released it towards the pirate leader.

Purple, distorting light radiated from her right hand and swallowed up Egan, leeching off his life force directly through the circulatory system. It was a Hunter Metroid reave field.

Aran's disability died away, she was still tired, yet her critical injuries had healed within seconds. Surging upwards, she disarmed the weakened Egan then swept the butt of the gun into his mouth, knocking out his needle-like teeth. Bawling like a baby, the pirate lord tried to run, she dislocated his knee with a low kick to stop him.

Setting her thermal field to full on her omni tool, Samus caused the heat sink to blaze shy of white hotness. Then she flipped the gun around and smacked the brand into the Batarian's upper-set of eyes.

The Batarian leader sounded like a pathetic animal as his eyes blistered, then popped under the heat, Aran disfigured him horribly when she broke the molten lithium over his face, causing him to scratch, scrape and tear at the deformed, bubbling mess, unintentionally moulding himself into something befitting his black soul.

Aran looked past her revenge to see the inhabitants of Elysium screaming themselves hoarse as they routed the raiders, but it was not them. In the sky, she could see the Alliance's scout flotillas engage the pirate fleet, flashes of light illuminating the heavens, comets of burning hulks plummeting to the earth.

She observed detachedly that the Batarian was crawling away. It didn't matter, he was no threat anymore.

"_So many dead…and for what?"_

Across the street, she rejoined the battle; it was what she was made to do, the pirates fled before the terrifying spectacle she was sure she must look after the rigours of the day.

Smoke, burning flesh, blood, death, everywhere - death. The last child of the Chozo was born in blood, baptised in blood and now she bathed in it; up until she fell into the arms of Alliance medics, forty eight hours later, and passed from her battle sleep, into the world of waking dreams.


	10. Spectres, Wraiths and Phantoms

**A/N: Its over 9000! Words. That's right, I leave you guys for a bit, (okay five days is a lot) but then I come back with my first (hopefully not last) 10000 + words chapter. Please, please, your comments are thanks enough! Ah, its just turned 1:00 a.m. here in the UK, I'll be giving you my longest piece of work a mere hour before I turn 18. Hope you guys will gift me some great Birthday reviews! I'll be playing my final play through of ME 1 & 2 alongside writing now, but don't expect it to follow the exact events of the story to the letter, that would be cheating you guys. Season's greetings to you all! Enjoy this, my work to you, the reader.**

_"Protecting the protectors is my duty."_

_ (Samus Aran) _

**Spectres, Wraiths and Phantoms **

Awakening to a very familiar sight... that of a starkly clean white room.

_"Hospital."_ Aran sighed, feeling her faculties begin to return. Everything came into sharp focus, as after any battle, she felt keenly aware of even the tiniest detail and she was burning with the aftershock of adrenaline-fueled energy.

_"Have to do,_ something_. Anything."_ She asserted, noticing that she was hooked up to many different machines at her bedside, focusing her biotics, she cut through some of the electrodes and undid the safety straps. A bleeping alarm alerted the female Human doctor who came through the sliding door into the private room.

"Miss Shepard, please!" The practitioner cried out in concern and outrage. "You've been through a very taxing ordeal and –"

Aran gave her a withering look as she freed herself from the rest of the monitoring wires, which shut her up quickly. The doc tried again as Samus hopped out of bed and began to stretch out the kinks in her legs.

"It has only been three hours since you were shipped from Elysium back to Arcturus, Ma'am. The inner city hospitals were evacuated before they were hit, if not for you they wouldn't have had the time to get – Lieutenant, you received _crippling_ spinal injuries and massive haematoma, you really should be resting..."

The Hunter touched her head to her knees, then her heel to the back of her head, the doctor gasped in fright as she did so, fearing that her headstrong patient was going to aggravate her injuries further. She was astounded when the N7 Marine straightened up and said tranquilly: "everything seems to be in order, the medi gel did the trick, oh and your ministrations of course."

The brunette was stammering in disbelief while Samus, tore off the paper gown, collected some pressed Navy blues and entered the decontamination shower, whistling all the while. As she washed, she could hear the Alliance GP checking her charts and muttering under her breath.

"Impossible, it's medically impossible."

Samus let the roaring jets of scalding hot steam jets wash away her regrets for the deaths of those on the colony: including Luke, Jill, Tomsky and Chris. She would honour their sacrifices - but there were more pressing matters to contend with.

Her considerable intellectual capacities turned over the recent developments in her mind: retaliation from the Systems Alliance would come thick and fast against the now scattered war bands. Their leader would flee underground to escape the price of failure, ironically, Samus knew that she had helped him in that quest thanks to her assistance in his extreme makeover. Wherever he was now, at least he was feeling much worse than her – she reflected brutally.

Promptly, Aran got changed into the regulation clothing, similar in vein to the attire she had worn on Daiban when part of the Star Trackers, they had even managed to retrieve the Paralyzer. When she tried to leave the ward the hospital staff advised against it, adamant that she should stay for more tests, but Samus had a way with words; dissuading them on the grounds that she needed to be debriefed by Joint Command.

Walking towards the exit, she could discern that the exterior entrance to the hospital's lobby was filled with clamouring reporters.

"_The paparazzi, that's all I need right now."_ Aran groaned inwardly, two Alliance MPs approached her all of a sudden.

"Lieutenant, we're to escort you to debriefing," one began.

"Admiral Hackett's eager to speak with you," finished the other suit.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I didn't want to have to deal with that lot." Both men ushered Aran through a side door and into a transit vehicle which took off into the station's rail network.

"So, why all the coverage on me? Surely Elysium is where the real story is taking place." Aran inquired.

"That's very true, Ma'am. But at the moment reports are claiming that you led the defence during the attack, that you repulsed front waves continually, that you defeated an entire platoon _single-handedly_."

'Shepard' was now an official hero of the Alliance considered Aran, although certainly not an anonymous agent any more; she hadn't expected her recent battle to sling her so far into the media spotlight...

"So I'm the only _hero_ that made it out of this escapade." She voiced her misgiving aloud, incensed.

"It's all true, what they're saying about you then?" Said the MP's partner.

Samus answered querulously, "do you think I'd be here if it wasn't? But the only heroes I know are back there – and they are dead." She added serenely.

"Forgive me ma'am, I'm sorry for the loss of your comrades but if you hadn't taken the actions you did today, there wouldn't be an Elysium left."

"Don't honour me, I would have died too this day if not for the people of that world, they should be the ones to receive _accolades_. I just did what anyone with my abilities could and _should_ have done."

"Inspire untrained civilians?! No offence meant Lieutenant but I doubt many could have done what you did in that situation."

Aran waved a hand in a blasé fashion and turned to look out of the window, her body posture signalling she wished the remainder of the drive to be silent. The MPs respected her decision, after all – she was now effectively a war hero.

The Devil pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger and closed her eyes in a rare display of exhaustion, reliving the horrors of every being she had ever killed, or had watched die. Emptying her mind of all conscious thought was one of the first disciplines she had mastered, stagnation and apathy was the enemy here. With all the focus she was now famous for – Aran controlled her blazing emotions, allowing them to cool into acceptance and resolve.

All life had its end. Even hers. _"But not today."_ And not in the immediate future, she would live among these people, their warden, their transcendent protector. For all the good she had and would come to do for this Galaxy, Samus knew that the civilizations would never accept an advanced alien interventionist in their affairs – her powers _had_ to be kept hidden.

Veiled her true form may be, but there was a difference between concealment and restrained employment, that was an entirely different matter. Cupping her shapely, callused hands as if she were holding a sphere between them; Aran generated a globe of wavering, indigo, biotic reave energy.

The officer in the passenger driver seat flinched at this display of unfathomable forces. Samus gazed at it in a short session of intensely focused, passive meditation. The new biotic force was a channel for her Metroid epidermal energy siphon ability. Through direct neural feedback, life force could be ripped from the nervous system and transferred to her. It reminded her instantly of the Phazon mutated Metroids who had fired concentrated bolts of an analogous energy.

It was a truly intriguing evolution of her unnatural abilities, perhaps if she could create a vortex large enough to consume the lives of ten beings she could materialize the Varia suit... Aran quickly dismissed the idea, it was a pointless endeavour, perhaps a form of _internal protection_ comparable to the nano-crystular flash used to restore her form back to full strength was the answer...

Regardless, she knew this diverging path, this development had to be looked in to, she was sure it would serve a useful eventuality.

They reached the Systems Alliance Parliament building, which was also swarming with the Fourth Estate. Coming to a stop, the MPs were backed up with a security detachment, who chaperoned Aran through the milling mob of journalists; all of them shouting to be heard above each others bombarding questions on the raid.

"Aran Shepard seems to be declining to comment." A hook-nosed Middle-Eastern Human female with a pock-marked face hollered deridingly. In the back of her mind Samus strongly felt the inclination to rearrange the woman's face but outwardly she was as calm as a still lake. Her composure straight backed and tall as cameramen clicked away with their specialized holo devices at the photogenic _young_ woman.

Within a few turbulent minutes, Aran was seated with her fellow collaborator in her cloaked crusade, Admiral Steven Hackett; who was looking very tired indeed, with large bags under his icy blue eyes.

"What can I say Shepard? Guess I've been proven right, Humanity owes you a great debt," he said somberly. Aran merely blinked owlishly before rubbing her eyes with one hand while leaning back in a similar state of drowsiness.

"What do the politicians need now, Sir?" Steven seemed mildly amused,

"The usual propaganda, interviews proving our importance in settling the Verge. An award ceremony befitting a heroine of your stature. Medals, they'll probably give you the Star of Terra on top of a promotion - and for you to preside at the military funeral of your fellow soldiers."

"I trust I'll also have to take part in a memorial service on Elysium a year from now?" She said, finding it difficult to conceal her acrimony.

"The downside to being a public darling, Sam. They'll _all_ come after you now, Council Representatives too. It's nearly the twentieth anniversary of the First Contact War; many of our kind are going to look to _you_ for guidance, now that your actions have spoken so demonstratively of Humanity's importance – both economically and militarily."

"So I'm the political pawn here, unless it's my influence that people are drawn to, not the expectancy of my support."

"No-one would dream of trying to manipulate you, Sam. You're a free agent in my opinion. I know that this level of networking must be stressful for you but certain formal procedures have to be followed. I'll do my best to keep the other, less important dignitaries off your back – you deserve nothing less."

"Did Captain Piers survive the raid?" Aran asked eventually.

"I'm afraid not, his injuries overcame him about the same time you recovered consciousness."

"Ah, a shame, he – they were all good people... I'm not going to be reassigned immediately, am I Admiral." She stated flatly, Hackett shook his head.

"No, your front line service has been more action-packed than the entire careers of several veterans. As I'm sure you remember, Colonel Jackson is retiring next month, if you're partial to his offer we'd like you to undertake the drilling of N7 recruits in preparation for another tour in 2177; we've got to ensure that this situation doesn't escalate into an all out war with the Batarian Hegemony – though of course they'll deny all involvement. The events of today have drawn the eyes of the entire Galaxy."

"Without a doubt. I'm in agreement with those points sir, being on cruise isn't the best place to form political ties and I've no wish to incur the nuclear might of our totalitarian neighbors."

"Always aware of the bigger picture aren't you, _Shepard_?"

"With a job like mine, how could I not be?"

* * *

><p>While Hackett and Aran discussed the potential gains that could arise from such a tragedy, Operative Kechlu, the man also known to a select few as the Shadow Broker, monitored the news feeds with the rapt, photographic memory of his kind. Engrossed with the images of a certain Lieutenant Aran Shepard and the uses she could prove to his organization...<p>

* * *

><p>Elsewhere, the Illusive Man took a draught of his favourite Kentucky made bourbon from a medium-sized shot glass. And smoked an Italian tobacco cigarette. Wondering how he could use the attack on Elysium to gather more people around his banner, preferably of similar skill-set to Mr. Leng; who was embarking on his first mission for the Cerberus cause.<p>

* * *

><p>At the seat of Galactic power, Matriarch Tevos, Primarch Sparatus and the Sur'keshian's spokesperson of the High Dalatrass, Duke Valern: The mighty triumvirate of the Asari Republics, Salarian Union and the Turian Hierarchy; discussed the largest pirate attack in their term's history.<p>

"Once again the Alliance has proved their valour," ventured the Salarian Councillor. "They are fast becoming a major military power, a small wonder when you consider the percentage of their citizens that actually join the armed forces."

"I concur," the Asari Councillor affirmed. "Humanity has done more for our society, and in a much shorter space of time than any race before them."

"That may be," huffed the Turian Councillor, "but in actuality they are dangerous, look at their war-mongering in the Verge, they drove out the Batarians like they were rabid Pyjaks."

"And we stepped aside on the matter," Tevos reminded Sparatus calmly. "We allowed a promising species to flourish and now they have proven themselves yet again."

"Notwithstanding that AI fiasco on Sidon that transpired a while ago." Agreed the Salarian Councillor.

"Are you suggesting we give them a Council seat for saving one of their own colonies!" Sparatus spluttered in evident disbelief.

"Of course not," Tevos answered, "but on an _individual _basis I have never seen a more promising Spectre inductee, than in this Human who led the resistance."

"You mean Aran Shepard? The meteoric N7 Marine?" Said Sparatus thoughtfully. Tevos inclined her head gracefully.

"Something of a rising star in military and technological circles," continued Valern. "The STG has even taken an interest in her dissertations on offensive and protective mass effect based systems."

"What exactly are you two suggesting here? A Human in the Spectres?! You two are _aware_ of the implications of this position, we'd be equating Humanity, a client race of the Citadel I might add, with the rest of the Council!"

"We are not suggesting that Shepard be inducted immediately," rectified the Asari Councillor. "She would be subject to all the same stringent, covert examinations that any other talent scout would oversee on a member of our own military forces."

"And who do you suggest would be Miss Shepard's undercover mentor?" Queried Sur'kesh's representative; there was a moments pause in the proceedings.

"I think I might have the answer to that question," Sparatus announced unexpectedly – with a twitch of his sharp mandibles.

"An old student of Saren Arterius - Nihlus Kryik."

* * *

><p>The following year after the Skyllian Blitz, as it came to be called, went by in a blur of eventfulness for Samus Aran. Every day she trained men and women of such calibre that she finally understood why her foster parents had gained some fleeting joy from ensuring one could protect themselves from the ignorant, the megalomaniacs and evil made flesh.<p>

It was therapeutic to a degree, instructing others through all her experience, while at night she pored over conspiracies and ancient manuscripts. The digital copies lifted straight from museum databases by Adam and scrutinized by the aged bounty hunter. The true threat was not over, it was not _here_ just yet and first – it had to be _found_.

For weeks on end, Samus explored the mysteries of a race of secretive salvagers, known only as the Collectors. They were a source of foreboding for Aran, the Nova Corvette's beacons could not scan their strange, honey-combed ships without being discovered themselves; considering they operated in the Sentry Omega nebula, she was wary of them tracking down the Daiban relay. Especially in view of the fact that their home relay, the Omega 4 was unmapped and disrupted any attempt at signal broadcasts, even the bio-LADAR rays couldn't penetrate the interference.

Her investigations into the Veil and its mechanical inhabitants were much more fruitful. Adam had made rudimentary contact with the communal AI species, though the Geth were cautious at first, they communicated with the Corvette's on board personality eagerly. Exchanging all manner of complex binary code that even Aran, with all her mastery in the realms of technology and computing, found difficult to wrap her head around.

In the end, the endeavour would not develop until one party disclosed privileged information, the Corvette's systems were too well protected to be bypassed, while the Geth were too interconnected to be disassembled through computation. In addition, only Adam could beam messages back from the Geth. It was a one way conversation for the most part, with a recipient who could receive but not re-send data unless Adam piggy-backed the memorandum.

Within the last quarter of 2177's year, Aran's N7 class graduated in just eighteen months of martial education. Though many wanted her to stay on, the Joint-Chiefs needed her in field once more, her new assignment came in November of the same year.

Reassigned as the Executive Officer of the SSV Waterloo, under Captain Damien Graham, Aran served six tours as the squad leader of a special team of fellow N7 Marines, with special privileges; such as corsair anonymity and the allowance of doctored reports in accordance with their high-risk assignments.

As the scarring, pits and dents mounted up on Aran's armour over those three years fighting on uncharted worlds, beating back the villainy of the Galaxy. So too did her reputation for making the impossible possible; the Alliance often called her in as a military representative for joint-species exercises as much as they sent her to root out pirate anchorages.

The recognition seemed to never let up. During her shore leaves, Samus was invited to attend Elysium's memorial services as well as the second colonial opening on Mindoir, which she accepted with some restlessness.

Further experimentation with her developing biotic / psionic powers yielded a surprising trance-like state, allowing her to sheath her circulatory system and brain with a nano-crystular stasis field. The shielding rendered her nerves and muscles all but impervious to harm, she ran a continuous stream of one million volts of electricity through her body at an amplitude of 200 milliamps for ten minutes before her skin started to burn. Concentrated beams of gamma radiation had no effect either while all her focus was dedicated to maintaining the fluxing gluino and mass effect fields.

Its applications were limited though, since absolute blocking out of the world was required to enter the protective coma; Precluding its use in combat. The only utilization Samus could think of was resistance against torture or the survival of harsh atmospheres that her physiology alone could not handle...

* * *

><p>May, 2180. Aran had returned once more to Arcturus at the request of Joint-Command, a Citadel Official needed to see Commander Shepard regarding a top-secret placement. It was no stretch for the Hunter to realize that her Spectre initiation was about to begin.<p>

Upon entering one of the interview rooms, Aran perceived there to be a two-way glass observation window with known persons discussing unknown things behind it. Even with her heightened hearing she could only discern inaudible whispers from three individuals behind the sound proof mirror, though she could just hear the gruff drawl of Admiral Hackett.

The man sitting at the desk she assumed to be a Spectre, she couldn't tell for sure because all cases referring to the individuals and the activities of those within Special Tactics and Recon were classified at the highest level. They did not exist except on sealed databases; unless Samus manually hacked such servers, no information could be found. She admired such a level of discretion, after all, it was the same precaution she had taken for 'Shepard's' files and no-one in their right mind would disclose the location of the network's hub.

He was a tall, dark mottled Turian, with intricate white carapace markings and emerald green eyes that shone out with measured intensity from his dusky brown flesh.

As she drew closer, she noticed he was clad in a medium hard suit, Samus recognised it as personalized Phantom armour from the Serrice Council, no diplomat wore such heavy gear – this was a soldier.

The Spectre sized her up as well, taking in her unusual height and self-assured though non-aggressive poise. In comparison to his military-grade hardware, Aran wore her dress blues, with a buttoned, un-tucked black shirt, open at the collar and navy-gold jacket undone. Her hair had never gone back to her once favoured style; being worn loose instead.

"Commander Shepard," Nihlus pronounced in an incomparably dignified timbre as he stood. "My name is Nihlus Kryik of the Special Tactics and Recon division of the Citadel Council. I've been looking forward to speaking with you for some time." His outstretched talon signified a handshake; it is said we make our everlasting impressions on those we meet in the first five seconds, this was certainly the case when Samus Aran and Nihlus Kryik convened together for the first time.

Nihlus could feel the indomitable spirit and socio-centric nature of the woman through her iron yet carefully considerate clasp on his two fingers and opposable thumb. Samus knew inherently that this was a man she could trust as he adjusted his clawed grip in a perfect emulation of the Human greeting. The fact that every word he spoke tried to dictate a response forewarned Aran that Nihlus was an expert on evaluation and exploitation of weaknesses; if she responded to the flattery, it would signify she was vulnerable to manipulation.

Instead she replied with an apparent non sequitur: "what about?" She asked mildly, wrong footing him and causing his mandibles to click once in a small acknowledgement.

"About your future," he assured, releasing her hand and gesturing towards the table for her to sit. Aran gave a Turian salute and sat down opposite Nihlus' side of the table, the Turian seated himself, liking the Human more already.

"Now, Commander." Nihlus launched into conversation with the pleasantries out of the way and began to riffle through Shepard's dossier.

"You've served in the Alliance for - eight years this month, an impressive career so far: you rescued all but one Citadel official during the Predon hostage crisis, served with distinction in the Theshaca raids and repulsed multiple platoons during the Skyllian Blitz – earning you the star of Terra. Recently you've been training future N7 recruits and participated in countless clandestine missions in a black-ops unit that even my contemporaries have not been briefed on."

Aran gave a deadpan expression, which Nihlus returned before continuing. "If I am to assume you wish to be _considered _for Spectre candidacy, I'll need your full co-operation with a battery of background checks and psychological evaluations; including full disclosure of _all_ your covert assignments undertaken for the Alliance Navy."

Aran could hear the voices halt abruptly at Kryik's ultimatum. She seemed to consider the offer carefully before answering frankly with:

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kryik. All military branches can be superseded by Council agents in matters of Galactic Security _only_, this is hardly a situation requiring that kind of - intervention."

"Oh, you think so?" Said Nihlus testily, an impatient Spectre was usually obeyed without question. He was pleased to see that Aran was not backing down on the matter and made a note in his holo pad regarding her control of arguments. Though he made a show of seeming to write a criticism with an irritated flourish, hoping to unnerve her.

He looked up, she was as poker faced as ever, he raised his game.

"Spectres are vested with extreme responsibility, Commander, we must know _everything_ about an aspirant to ensure they have the right mindset for such an honour. So I will be forced to demand your consent or be forced to turn you down."

He expected Aran to gush an apology and her immediate compliance with his stipulations. What he didn't expect was for Shepard to deactivate her translator and after a second's pause, retort with a flawless Turian dialect.

"Nihlus, as one who must appreciate anonymity you cannot expect self-governing armed forces to divulge classified Intel, you would not ask so of the STG or the Asari Commandos; therefore I must conclude that this is not an absolute condition and that this is merely the start of your psychological evaluations to deem me suitable."

Nihlus' regard for the woman rose further and he made another quick note before deactivating his own translator. Striking up their rapport with English this time, in the generic accent and flanged sound-effect typical of his species.

"Very good Shepard, not many have the guts to follow their convictions so strongly, some might consider you plain stubborn though."

"I am not bothered by other people's perceptions of me, agent Kryik." Aran said, placing her hands on the table and fixing her eyes on his in a staring duel. "We are all creatures of habit. people like you and me, Nihlus, we try to break that monotony through either diplomacy or violence. One has to listen of course but endless compromise leaves everyone unhappy, _never_ allow others concession unless there is an alternative."

Nihlus continued not to blink: "so you are a supporter of pre-emptive actions, yet at the same time peaceful negotiations? I could call you out for hypocrisy, Shepard."

Aran did not react to the insult but defended her views continually, touting the need for subjective and objective values in combat zones; the virtue of consistency was a flawed one, it proved your moral integrity but left you vulnerable to those who could predict your behaviour.

Kryik argued just as thought-provokingly, stating that unpredictability was the kind of pit fall that created rogue Spectres, indeed any rogue military operative had to be terminated with extreme prejudice. Aran rebutted this on relativistic grounds, everyone was accountable for their actions, yes, but tempering the absolute fiery metals of logic with the cold waters of individual circumstance was the only recourse possible in this cruel, cold and uncaring Universe.

The philosophical debate on soldiery raged on, Nihlus brought up an important quandary for Aran: "Through your - _dogma_, Shepard, you must be forced to admit that war crimes and atrocities were also right for the time and place correct?"

After an hour of this dispute, Aran crossed her arms above her chest in her one and only betrayal of standoffish opposition and seeming indifference.

"Well, we come back to the regularity of sentiency don't we, Nihlus? It doesn't exist, we are all flawed beings, but I know right – and I know wrong, whatever my personal beliefs are, _the mission_ takes precedence. For all my certainty, there is also impartiality – if I am a hypocrite for that, then someone shoot me."

Nihlus nodded slowly, three short dips of his fringed head. "Thank you, Commander. That was most illuminating, your superiors will inform you of your next interview."

The Devil stood and once again they shook hands and returned their kind's salutes. Aran thanked him then said: "I look forward to it, it'll give us a chance to talk, Spectre."

Nihlus flagged Aran's file for an immediate review.

* * *

><p>Future interviews with Nihlus Kryik seemed to come after the most taxing and dangerous missions Samus undertook for the Alliance. The brass warranted that she had earned promotion several times over but at the same time they wished to keep their secret weapon in the field and on standby.<p>

Aran knew that Nihlus was subjecting her to a clever series of rings to jump through, to test her fortitude when she was the most drained. After losing two more friends on a prior mission – Nihlus had interviewed her for four whole hours; it was practically an interrogation on how she coped with such loss, fortunately for her she had had over a century to compile such an answer.

The really difficult ones came when Nihlus ensured she was sleep-deprived, then sweated out with chemicals or mental exercises designed to break her mind. Samus proved immune to these, giving unrelated (and often humorous) information during the grilling. Word association tests were also no problem for her, the only one that proved a challenge, was the Rorschach test.

Samus had never met a more incisive and astute tester of personality dynamics than Nihlus Kryik, the man was a living lie detector and a master of unraveling the complexities and strengths of a battlefield, a dangerous negotiation or even a person's motivations.

Innumerable times Aran had been exposed to physical and psychological pain but nothing prepared her for that group of ink blots on the first of the ten cards that Nihlus showed her. It was the silhouette of her arch-nemesis, the huge wing-span, the pterodactyl shaped head, hooked fore paws reaching out to destroy…Samus blinked twice rapidly, which was enough of a cue for the Spectre. He jotted down notes on her reactions and what character traits it signified as she stared at the card with a mixture of emotions: grief, wild joy, resolve, fear – rage. Then that same soothing feeling of justification in her actions.

"What do you see Shepard?" Prodded Nihlus gently, Aran lowered the card.

"A dragon."

Nihlus seemed mildly concerned, "an archetype to express your childhood trauma no doubt, you've lived a colourful life Shepard."

Samus did not speak. Then she begin to chuckle quietly, which commenced into a full blown laugh that soon had tears of mirth streaming down her cheeks. Nihlus found himself laughing along with her for nearly a full thirty seconds before they managed to regain control.

"Ahhh…so," said Nihlus, immediately professional once more, as if he had switched off his rarely used amusement chip. "If you'd like to take a look at the next card for me please Commander."

And as abruptly as it had arrived the eye of the storm had passed; and the two warriors had to contend with the world they lived in for most of their waking moments. That of constant kinaesthesia, alertness for any form of danger, it was why the duo showed such deference to each other, despite their seemingly frosty exchanges.

A red detailed card showed a four nuclei Metroid stared out at her, "a Hanar."

An ugly space pirate crustacean face on the fourth one, the 'father card', "a Vorcha's head split in two."

An assortment of coloured blots resembling an Inglet, "the three sets of Krogan organs."

It went on, with Aran never showing the smallest hint of a reaction as she recited the first thing that came to psyche, while looking upon the reflections of the world she had left behind. When the time came to leave, Samus voiced her goodbyes:

"See you around, Spectre."

* * *

><p>Nihlus had interviewed ten of the Alliance's best to see whether any one of them would be fit to serve the Council and by extension, the Galaxy. Political ramifications would be very wide spread if Humanity ascended after such a short time. There would be backlash from the races who had established embassies on the Citadel centuries ago – while Human-kind was elevated in one life time.<p>

In the Human embassy, GST (Galactic Standard Time – Ed) 17: 89, October the 4th 2181. Ambassador Donnel Udina, Captain David Anderson, Admiral Steven Hackett and Spectre Agent Nihlus Kryik; sat gathered around an oval table in the Human embassy, overlooking the Presidium's lake.

"No, not Major Kyle," said Anderson pointedly to Udina. "The man's unstable and a chronic PTSD sufferer since Torfan, I believe you didn't find him apt for the position either Nihlus?" He referred back to the Spectre, who shook his head before replying.

"I did not, he was too…_erratic_ for my tastes, even the utilitarian would find his methods reprehensible. With the Admiral's help here, I have compiled a list of five names that will be evaluated on a final gauntlet six months from now."

"What does this course involve exactly?" Asked Udina. Hackett responded,

"It's a cross-species martial arts seminar, a tournament where the top hand-to-hand specialists of the Council race's special forces will compete with our chosen Spectre nominees." Anderson appeared disconcerted , he interrupted.

"A tournament…is there any ulterior motive for this type of exercise?" Udina shot him a death glare, wishing the Captain would stop making Humanity look so pussy-footed and conservative around the aliens. Nihlus gave Anderson a small grin:

"My mentor Saren Arterius told me much about you Captain," Anderson did not look best pleased.

"Why? He try to spin the facts about me again?" It came out more rudely then he had meant it to sound – Nihlus shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, he did tell me of the time you tried to strangle him and he in turn, nearly broke your arm after soundly besting you. The marines I've chosen from Humanity's ranks should surely be up to the challenge of combating a Spectre."

"_He's_ going to be at this tournament? To fight Human soldiers?" Raised Anderson, skeptical.

"Only as a judge, Captain. Me and several undercover Spectre talent scouts will be there to assess your soldiers _personally_." Anderson still looked apprehensive at the news but Udina seemed positively gleeful.

"I think its an excellent idea. A summit of some of the Galaxy's finest athletes, a triumph of relations with our allies and a meeting of minds, heh, and fists to prove which of our men will become the first Human Spectre!" Finished Udina, raising a clenched fist in his self-induced fervour.

Hackett and Nihlus exchanged looks, Anderson face-palmed in embarrassment. "If I were you ambassador," stated the Turian Spectre dangerously, "don't hold your breath for one of your men, there's a certain _woman_ who I believe has the best chance."

The Admiral was in accord with the Spectre, "Ahem will give us the final recommendation, then you and the Council can give us a joint mission important enough to induct our chosen soldier into the Spectres publicly."

Anderson took notice of the name, "Tadius Ahem? The head honcho in charge of –"

"Pinnacle Station," Hackett finished for him.

* * *

><p>Samus Aran stood on Arcturus's central dojo mat as five marines came at her with batons, within seconds she had disarmed and beaten them to the ground.<p>

"Muhammad, work on your defence, Zhao, try not to over extend your swings they leave you open to counter attacks, Burns, Geoff, Vega, I've seen more originality in troops at basic, _improvise_."

"Shepard!" Called Colonel Leo Jackson from across the room.

"Colonel?" Said Aran in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you retired?"

"I did but they said I could be your ringside trainer for the up and coming tournament," he was nearly bouncing for joy. "You are going to make us proud Shepard, I know you can win this!"

Aran's troops clapped and hollered as the rumour became reality, Aran Shepard was in the running for the Spectres. During the shuttle journey to the Phoenix system in the Argos Rho cluster Aran spoke to Jackson about Pinnacle Station.

"I've heard it was a secret command centre during the Krogan Rebellions, but I thought it was famous for its combat simulators not martial arts' tournaments."

"Yeah well, as a nexus for all the Citadel's special operations teams its gained a reputation, so any military colloquium or competition that wants to be recognised hosts it there." Jackson replied sagaciously.

Aran felt at ease with her old drill instructor, after all, he was one of the only people left that she had known since her advent in this Universe.

A few hours later, the Alliance team had arrived at Pinnacle Station, on April 5th 2182. There was a vast, spectators arena, with the ring in the middle, stretching downwards from the highest seat.

In the changing rooms, Aran's four comrades, who were all men, gave her some privacy; they didn't want the hero of the Blitz to warm up by sparring with them! The team wore N7 insignia marked black vests, black joggers and black foot and hand support gloving.

Aran tied her shortened hair into another scrunched back ponytail for safety, then grabbed her Tupari sports drink for breaks between bouts and led her comrades into the stadium. She was glad that for once, PR was actually doing something productive in lieu of feeding off pain and misery.

The seating was jam packed with a tumultuous audience, under a thousand all together though, this was an exclusive event, with only major news corporations filming the spectacle.

At a bench on each corner of the four sided ring, sat the Turian, Salarian and Asari teams, including their own respective medics on standby if the need arose. Samus knew that there were honest to god Spectres among these battle hardened operatives. She recognised the distinctive facial tattoos of Nihlus Kryik among them. Several other people she also took interest in were: A powerfully built Salarian, extremely at odds with his thin counter parts, he looked stronger than a Krogan. A meditating, purple skinned Asari, who seemed to be nearing Matriarch levels of age and... A Turian with a white bone-like carapace, electric blue eyes and an unusually pronounced head fringe. Who could this be but Saren Arterius, the most notorious Spectre in the Galaxy, and the sideline trainer of the Turian team.

Samus watched the other coaches with her hunter's eye, the lightly armoured blue Asari who led her team, was reciting some sort of battle song and her fighters followed suit singing the hymn in harmony.

The Salarian trainer was taking special care of his prize fighter, debating strategy in hushed undertones while ignoring the rest of his men.

Saren said a few words to his squad, then let them get on with their warm-ups, seconds later he placed a talon on Nihlus' shoulder and whispered something to him before both men glanced up and spied Aran – talking to Jackson.

"Funny, I could have sworn that _human_ was watching us." Growled Saren uneasily, "she's been measuring her chances against everyone else."

Nihlus reproved his mentor: "Come now Saren, at least try not to let old wounds cloud your judgement, she's a fine soldier and an honourable woman."

"Honourable?" Saren spat. "_No_ human has _any_ honour in my book, Nihlus! I would still be out there monitoring the Perseus Veil if the Council hadn't roped my prized student into examining one of_ them_." Every emphasis regarding humanity bespoke a deeply intense hatred of their race.

"We all check out the competition old friend, I know you want this day to belong to us but one of these humans may be making history here at the very same time."

"You really think that one of _those_ can make the hard decisions for the good of the many? It's a rare trait."

"Oh believe me she embodies it, what kind of personality would ensure ordinary men and women fought to the death to give the rest of the colony time?"

"I suppose it takes all sorts," granted Saren. "... Who is she?"

"Her name is –"

"WELCOME CONTESTANTS!" Thundered the Krogan announcer through an omni mike, drowning out the murmuring hubbub of the crowd.

"WHAT A RARE TREAT WE'VE GOT FOR YOU TONIGHT FOLKS! TELEVISED THROUGHOUT CITADEL SPACE, ITS SPECIAL FORCES MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EXTREME!"

"Keep it down Neroy! I'm trying to watch the show!" Projected a heavy-set, brown bearded Alliance officer from the top-tier of seats.

"Sorry Admiral Ahem!" Neroy the Krogan commentator shouted back. "As I was saying, unlike every other show, that takes ages on pointless back story; I'm going to be direct just like my less friendly kin and get straight. Down. To. The. ACTION!"

Aran's sensitive hearing was beginning to irritate her as she blocked out the invasive cacophony of the fighting pundits.

"Now for security reasons, all our contestants will be under stage names, if the trainers would like to accompany their charges to the ring, first up we have 'Destructive Dynamite' of the Salarian Union and 'The Killer' of the Systems Alliance!"

The Alliance team wished 'Killer' good luck, he was a beefy African-American marine and a master of kick-boxing but he was up against the mountain of green muscle that was the Salarian team's best hope for a Union victory.

Each fight either lasted three, three minute rounds by which time a victor was decided by the impartial judges, or by knockout.

Unfortunately the Humans didn't have to wait long as 'Killer's' blows were absorbed by the monster of a Salarian. Irritated by the ineffective strikes, 'Dynamite' winded his smaller opponent with a gut punch, then lugged him onto his broad shoulders and leapt up and onto a corner pillar and straight off the stage – pile-driving 'The Killer' into the floor with a crunching sound of breaking bones, accompanied by thunderous applause.

"YEEAHH! COME GET SOME!" He lowed like a beast as his team mates restrained him and Samus, Jackson and the Alliance medic moved poor 'Killer' out on a stretcher.

Saren's mandibles moved upwards in the Turian equivalent of a curled lip. Nihlus sighed at his teacher's sneer.

An Asari Commando made short work of one of the Primacy's soldiers, which wiped the cruel smirk off Saren's bony face, much to Samus's delight. Then one of the thinner Salarians was bested by Nihlus in a particularly underhand fashion that had the men in the crowd wincing sympathetically.

"Anything goes watchers! Anything goes!" Laughed Neroy as he broke up the fight that had continued into the second round.

Only the Asari team still had their full compliment of combatants. That was about to change.

"Next up! 'Matriarch' vs. 'The Huntress!' " Samus cracked her knuckles expectantly while walking up the aisle, Jackson followed in her wake. Once she was seated at her corner, half listening to the bombardment of advice from Leo; she took in her opponent more closely. The heavily tattooed purple Asari that she had noticed earlier was shorter than her and less muscular, but incredibly flexible as she did horizontal and vertical splits, _"a style emphasising kicks then."_ Mused Samus, she herself had no need for _styles_, any form of rigidity in one's motion, creed and technique was a weakness. She relied on a plethora of methods: from wrestling, self-defence, Jeet Kune Do, Chozodian fighting arts, to free flow Muay Thai and the utilization of every body part as a lethal weapon.

'Matriarch' was immobile now, her dark grey, full body spandex clad form bowed slightly as Samus marched forward and stopped three metres from her rival. Aran returned the gesture, never taking her eyes off the ancient grey orbs staring back at her.

"ROUND ONE! FIGHT!"

The Asari _flew_ towards her Human adversary, gliding like a skater, incredibly fast, lashing out in a windmill of diverse kicks and chops. Samus bent back like a water reed, evading the attacks in a blur of movement before re-directing her opponent with a quick shove and using the ropes as a spring board to create some much needed distance.

Rolling to her feet, Samus was unsurprised that the 'Matriarch' had closed the gap within milliseconds, her aesthetically beautiful assortment of dance-like spin-kicks causing Aran to dodge and bat them away. Still on the defensive, she was forced back by the Asari's impeccable form and grace. If the alien had been fighting multiple thugs, the hunter had no doubt that they would long be dead; that was the key, she was a cyclone of perfect co-ordination, honed by centuries of martial training to devastate a group or overwhelm an individual, but like any twister, she needed solid foundation on the earth.

The ball of Aran's foot changed its angle in mid-direction and intercepted the fulcrum of the Asari's ankle, breaking her rhythm and knocking off her unremitting attack. Samus crossed the 'Matriarch's' flailing arms then gave her a 'Krogan kiss', breaking her nose, while at the same time kneeing her hard in the groin. The woman tensed herself to try and right the sudden counter attack but Aran flipped her over her back and let go at the top of the arc. She was flung several metres before smacking her head on her corner pole and thudding to the mat.

Aran's team went into transports of ear-splitting, joyous delight. Most of the members of the alien teams couldn't contain themselves either, with a few notable exceptions. Nihlus ceased clapping to speak to his comrade and felt somewhat saddened as Saren crossed his arms, refusing to join the celebrations, or speak.

Amazingly, 'Matriarch' wasn't down just yet, Neroy had boomed up to the count of five before the shocked Asari clambered up. Looking slightly less confident then she had at the start of the match.

Jackson slapped Samus on the back as she sat down in her corner. "Yee-haw! You put an Asari Commando down for the count in the first round Shepard!" He proceeded to recount the fight in elaborate detail while handing her a towel. Samus took a draught of Tupari as she watched the Asari doctor tend to her charge, what with a displaced nasal bridge and torn instep, plus the concussion she had given her – the huntress would be amazed if the Asari chose to fight again.

To the gratification of the audience 'Matriarch' and 'The Huntress' were soon ready for a second bout. This time, the Asari waited for Samus to make the first move, she had a pronounced limp and she didn't look quite so regal with a plaster across her face.

Samus probed her defence with low and high hits but the Asari blocked them and assailed her in turn with flurry of hand techniques, only daring to block the Human's stamp kicks and not give any in return. Pinioning Aran's arms in an upside down 'X' cross with her own, she attempted to batter 'The Huntress' with her elbows.

She didn't expect Samus to duck smartly, at the same time bringing her forearms up and separating the hold, within the 'Matriarch's' guard Aran brought both of her own elbows down on the soft tissue between breast and armpit, deadening the Asari's arms

Stepping around to the right, Samus swept the alien's left leg out, causing her weakened foot to collapse underneath her. On her descent, she seized the 'Matriarch' by her throat and slammed her head into the canvas at speed. Before the Asari could even think of kicking out at her aggressor; Samus tapped her on the fleshy temple with her elbow three times in quick succession. The three-part, economical set of pulled knocks did what one couldn't and sent her off to hazy pain-filled land for twenty full seconds.

"THAT'S IT! ITS OVER! 'THE HUNTRESS' CLAIMS THE ALLIANCE'S FIRST VICTORY!" Roared Neroy, yanking Aran's hand into the air after he had yelled out the final number: "TEN!"

In extremely high spirits, the Human N7 team welcomed Aran back to the team bench, pressing cold packs and energy drinks on their last hope.

Not that Shepard's success didn't inspire the three. 'Executioner' managed to score the majority of punches in his three round fight with the Turian known as 'Black Talon,' knocking one of Saren's men out of the running, 'Dynamite' crippled an Asari warrior by bringing her spine down on his knee, in payback the Asari injured two of the Salarian team. Making it Four to the Alliance, two to the Union, three to the Republic and three to the Hierarchy.

The scores were soon upset again, 'Slayer' was brutalized by Nihlus and 'Assassin' beat the Salarian called 'Neurotic Nitroglycerine.' Coupled with an Asari victory against the Turian team, the score was three, one, three, two respectively.

"This is going to be a good one ladies and gentlemen! 'The Huntress' will now contend with the unbeaten 'Destructive Dynamite!' " Echoed Neroy into the cavernous room.

Jackson looked understandably nervous as he accompanied Shepard to the ring, that ogre of a Salarian had hospitalized two fighters and showed no sign of letting up. His chiseled muscles taut and etched against his amphibian scaly skin.

He stood at 6ft 8inches, a head higher than Aran, every pressure point ridged and protected with blocks of solid, ripped tissue. "Find his weakness Shepard and capitalize on it. He's a big bastard, knock him down a couple of times and his stamina should be affected."

In direct contrast to his anxiety, Samus was unworried, calmly tightening her partial glove wrappings; as if she was popping out for a Sunday drive on a winters day.

"You know what they say Leo, the bigger they are – the harder they fall."

"COME ON BITCH!" Bellowed 'Dynamite,' "YOU AIN'T NOTHIN' GIRL, I'LL TAKE YOU HOME WITH ME! YEAH!"

Samus pulled up the rope and entered the ring. Saren and Nihlus watched her approach the giant with mounting exhilaration. One wanted her to take the Salarian down, the other wanted to see her broken like the ones that had come before.

"Tell you what you dumb blonde," the Salarian spat as she stopped a metre from him. "I'll give you a free shot, come on, I won't even move!"

_Ding! Ding!_ The bell rang and the crowd gasped in wonder as 'The Huntress' swung her leg around like a ball and chain and drove her foot into 'Dynamite's' stomach with the power of a freight truck.

The Salarian's eyes nearly popped from his skull as his diaphragm failed to soak up the tremendous force, his lungs emptied as his internal organs were pushed up into his body's bellows and he soared off the ground backwards.

Omni cameras flashed as they caught the titanic moment forever, Dynamite was thrown against the ropes, which stretched then rebounded him back. 'The Huntress' leapt on high and caught him in the throat with her shin in a spectacular clothesline as he came hurtling towards her.

'Dynamite' turned over in mid-air for nearly a full revolution and landed on his stomach, stars in his eyes. Samus had never heard such a blast of noise in her life. The din was indescribable but through it all came the shrieked gasps of: "I'M – NOT... DONE!" Gasped the Salarian, he tumbled over in a daze while trying to get up, eventually relying on the ropes for support, which was against the rules.

Jeers and boos descended on 'Dynamite' even his trainer didn't try to hold back his displeasure; he was disgracing his unit and his clan.

"AGGHHH! SCREW _ALL A YOU!_ I WANT _BLOOD!_" And with that scream of vengeance he charged Aran.

Samus easily diverted his angry and stupid swings, then whipped her leg upwards and down in an overhead axe kick, breaking his jaw and tearing his thigh. Literally foaming in wrath (as well as green blood), 'Dynamite' tried to crush her in an encircling grip, but the hunter looped one of his arms, spun to the side and over his hunched back, overextended his arm upwards as she landed – then popped the ball clean out of the shoulder socket.

Like a mad dog the Salarian wouldn't let up, punching desperately at Aran's head with his left arm despite his broken right, she moved back, slapped him across the eyes, stunning him. What proceeded, made history as Nihlus had foretold. Aran rained blows down on 'Dynamite's' cranium, neck and torso, using him as a wooden dummy in an awe inspiring beat down of machine gun punches.

The judges monitored hits that had landed on every contestant through barely perceptible mass effect field emitters, inserted into their clothing. Now a certain sensor went haywire as Samus laid into him with thirty punches a second, for _five_ seconds.

Drawing back her blood spattered fist, Samus punched him in the pectoral, folding the Salarian as the huge muscle cramped, she rolled backwards, kicking up with her leg as he fell over her. 'Dynamite' rocketed towards the ceiling, then fell over the side of the ring to break on the floor after the twelve foot drop.

Silence. A crescendo of voices crashed down on Samus as every race rooted for the 'The Huntress,' The Asari and Turians roared their approval just as strongly as the Humans. She marveled at the fact that even Saren applauded politely as Neroy pulled up her arm and circled her around to every side of the spectators seats. Although he maintained his emotionless visage.

The rest of the proceedings seemed to speed by after the Union was knocked out of the running. The battered Salarian _champion_ was removed from the room and his trainer came to congratulate Samus on her victory. Stating that his pupil had dishonoured them with his actions and behaviour, that his real name and position would be stricken from the Special Tasks Group and to thank her for exposing him for the unstable time bomb he was.

As the day wore on, Samus knew who it would come down to and she wasn't disappointed. Nihlus Kryik vanquished the last Asari Commando in an intense three round fight that left him tired but victorious. 'Executioner' and 'Assassin' were also beaten by the Turian and Asari fighters. Leaving Aran to represent Humanity.

"What a battle of the Titans this has been!" Exclaimed Neroy, finally losing his presenter's voice, that had, coupled with the incessant commentary worn him down, thankfully.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: The final match that will determine the greatest warrior in the Galaxy! 'Grim Reaper' vs. 'The Huntress!'

As Jackson patted Aran on the back encouragingly, she drained the last of her Tupari and stepped up. Nihlus was a sight to behold without his armour. The hide on his back a dark chocolaty brown, melding into a lighter coffee colour on his exoskeleton plated chest, lethal spines protruding from beneath his forearms and on the backs of his calves, Samus had seen him use the dual natural spikes as weapons during his earlier fights.

Unlike the huntress's prior combat events, her fight with Nihlus was protracted. She had known he was a master at sensing a person's weakness but seeing it in action was something else. The Turian came at her from innovative new slants, using his own variant on hook kicks and elbow strikes, which, topped with the sharp natural points of bone, had cut and grazed her arms and legs during blocks.

"Getting tired Shepard?" He grinned after scoring another shallow scratch with an elbow whip.

"In your dreams Nihlus." She smiled impishly, followed up by landing a half-dozen solid blows to his torso, finished off with a straight kick that cleared some space between them.

Every time Samus executed a blow, the Turian Spectre anticipated it, often giving her a nick for her troubles. At one time he managed to spin Aran onto her back, a flood of varied gouges, chops and swipes reduced her gloves to tatters as she blocked frantically before kicking him off her.

When she changed her tack, Nihlus adapted within seconds. Towards the end of the second round it was still stalemate and Samus knew that he had the most points. The trouble was: that he could acclimatize to her way of fighting better than she could herself. Samus slated her thought processes inwardly: she was going about it all wrong. Instead of trying to find a manner that Nihlus could not imitate she should try to emulate her enemy.

Sitting down in her corner, she considered what she knew of the Spectre. He was pragmatic, adjustable, focused on the end goal with a single-mindedness that rivaled her own. That was it. Nihlus exposed others weaknesses and utilized them, he was stopping her from gaining a grip on him or using a counter with his blades that kept her at bay. He had managed to pick up on two of her combat norms within maybe fifty seconds of actual combat.

She had studied him too during their time together. And she was sure that by finding someone else's shatter point, you left yourself vulnerable to the exploitation of your own.

"Final round!" Samus and Nihlus approached within a few inches of each other – then launched into action. Synaptic-response time was always an advantage for the huntress and she persevered in catching Nihlus' blows before they could turn into his specialty.

She pursued him across the ring, cutting off his room to manoeuvre in a superficially choreographed display of reflexive actions.

"Back-off-Shepard!" Growled Nihlus through gritted teeth as he was forced against the ropes. In an attempt to break free, Nihlus counter attacked furiously, Samus reverse countered, avoided his elbow spine, then seized said flange and began to bend the bone backwards. The Spectre snarled in pain as he attempted to throw her off him but Samus allowed his move to twist her behind him and snap up her heel into his throat.

Reeling from the kick, Nihlus fell right into Aran's little trap as he pulled himself around to take off the pressure. She tripped him up by hinging her foot into his calf spine above his hamstring and pressing down – hard. With a cry Nihlus collapsed, two of his appendages on the verge of having their exoskeleton adjuncts ripped off as the strain became unbearable.

Using the strength of one arm, Nihlus boosted himself up and managed to swipe underneath his body backwards with his left elbow, creating a deep gash in Aran's Achilles tendon and forcing her to release him.

"Thirty seconds left!" Yelled Neroy. Ignoring the stabbing pain in her foot and leg, Aran jumped into a flying roundhouse kick which struck the rising Nihlus on the upper side of his forearm, shattering his bone extension. Both warriors grappled, blue and red blood mixing together.

"This is for water boarding me Spectre!" She whispered to Nihlus, locking his forearm and bringing her own arm down on his calf spine, splintering that one as well. With a howl of agony, Nihlus executed a Wushu flip to break Aran's lock on his other forearm and jabbed towards her eyes.

Aran used a corkscrewing head butt as Nihlus telegraphed his eye gouging intentions, cranial bones as hard as steel connected with the Spectre's metacarpal bones. The latter lost.

Despite his mangled arm, hand and leg. Nihlus kicked out with his damaged foot, knocking the temporarily imbalanced Human onto her back. No-one was prepared for the hand spring Samus executed as she struck the canvas. No-one, especially Nihlus, was prepared for the pike kick which clouted him in the chest and reversed their roles exponentially.

The only thought that ran through Nihlus's mind as Saren called the Turian medic and he slipped away into unconsciousness was: _"She's... Glorious…"_

* * *

><p>A week's recovery later, Nihlus was told that the Pinnacle Station multicultural MMA tournament had ended with a Human victor; and a Spectre with broken bones and a collapsed lung.<p>

In the Council Chambers, two weeks after Pinnacle Station. Nihlus made his report to the three most powerful people in the Galaxy.

"Ah, Nihlus, I trust you made a full recovery?" Invited Sparatus cordially, he was only ever amiable with his own kind.

"Of course Councillor, thank you for your concern" answered Nihlus in his diplomat's tone. "I have with me all the necessary files on our promising Spectre. Admiral Hackett's and Ahem's reports, the results of her examinations and undercover field training, an –"

"If I may be so bold Councillors…" Came the sibilant voice of Saren Arterius, who had come with Nihlus to brief the Council. The Salarian, Asari and Turian representatives all turned towards their top agent, silently granting him permission to continue.

"Aran Shepard is a talented soldier of that there can be no doubt, but she did show discrimination against our races by her heavy-handed display in the Phoenix system." He paused for his words to sink in. "Surely you cannot be thinking of granting her a position alongside agents who have served decades before being even considered for such a privilege?"

"We have deliberated the matter in our spare time for six years Arterius," answered the Salarian Councillor. "She is one of the most accomplished military operatives in the Galaxy, she has served in active duty for nearly ten years in the N7 Special Forces, a record in life expectancy if I'm correct."

"In addition to her contribution to many public services and training exercises," appended Councillor Tevos. "She is a political advocate for peaceful co-existence with many races. In spite of the fact that the Batarians murdered her family when she was young."

Saren had to try hard to hide his bubbling anger and resentment. Nihlus was also impatient to finalize the details of Shepard's induction.

"But th –" He began.

"I never thought you would be one to let extremes of violence bother you," said Nihlus heatedly. Saren looked as if he had just had something heavy swung in his face. "I was the one she fought old friend and I don't hate her at all, when are you going to let go of what happened to Desolas?"

"You _dare_!" Saren turned on his former pupil.

"Arterius!" Snapped Sparatus, Saren looked to his own kind, expecting – he did not know what. "He's right, you will contain yourself to your recon activities near the Veil, this is not for you to get involved in, especially due to your history on Shanxi."

Saren turned from one Councillor to another, then left, the whispers in his mind stirring faintly...

* * *

><p>"Its done." Said Nihlus to the Human officials that he had last seen assembled seven months ago. "The Council have just approved of the operation, a joint-venture between Turian and Human engineers to create a prototype frigate, with experimental stealth technology."<p>

He showed Hackett, Udina and Anderson the blueprints of the sleek vessel. Udina raised a query. "Who do we want to captain this new ship then?"

"I should think that would be obvious," replied the Spectre. "David Edward Anderson if we're all in agreement?"

Anderson nodded solemnly, ever the soldier. "And my XO?" He asked.

Nihlus nodded to Udina, who opened the files in front of him and began to recite names of the most prominent soldiers the Alliance had.

"Alenko?"

"Too opinionated, but a good kid," affirmed Anderson. "Flag him for marine detail."

"Thompson?"

"Not a chance." Said Hackett.

"Whittaker?" Udina tried again.

Nihlus resisted the temptation to snatch the document from the ambassador's hands.

"Why don't you try the top of the list, ambassador?" He answered tetchily. Udina flicked back to the first page and after an overlong pause, ventured regretfully:

"Well, what about Shepard?"


	11. Just Another Routine Mission

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I'm going to have to split this chapter into two because I just had a wonderful, awful idea! An idea that must be fleshed out and - unfortunately I didn't want to just gloss over it in this chapter. Next Friday we will finish Eden Prime and the 'real' debrief on the Normandy, until next time, Lawrence Snake out! **

_"Battle not with monsters , lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." _

_(Friedrich Nietzsche)_

**Just Another Routine Mission **

"She grew up in the colonies," continued Udina, reading the file with feigned interest.

Anderson seemed to realise Udina was dancing around the matter instead of getting into the meat of it and he forcibly took over the pitch with a quick interpolation.

"She knows how tough life can be out there, her family was killed when slavers attacked Mindoir." The sight of a razed colony, had been a sight he had seen far too many times throughout his service.

Hackett drew attention to her most famous achievement. "She proved herself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived."

Udina still seemed undecided, he could tell this woman was going to cost him an obscene amount of paperwork...

"We can't question her courage," he admitted at last, unfinished, he opened his mouth to voice one of his famous complaints – Anderson beat him to the punch.

"Humanity _needs_ a hero, and Shepard's the best we've got." He stated, as if it decided the matter once and for all.

"I couldn't agree more Captain," added Nihlus. "There is not a more dedicated warrior than her, once the shakedown is reported to the media, the mere fact that it was initiated by both the Alliance and the Council will quell a lot of the ill will abound at Humanity's preference by the Citadel over the other races. It will also serve to alleviate animosity towards the first Human Spectre."

"You mean Shepard is going to be inducted into the Spectres immediately?" Udina got carried away in his enthusiasm.

"No," Nihlus replied. "The Council have ratified everything, except in name alone. They need me to oversee her - _field mentorship_ in person to ensure procedure is maintained."

He held up his hand to prevent the other men from interrupting him. "It is merely an informal practice to welcome her into our fold. I'm well aware that Shepard possesses skills I cannot ever hope to acquire. That she matched and defeated both me and my compatriot at Pinnacle Station; but for the Galaxy to recognise her standing, requires involvement in an affair that would shake the foundations of our society."

"And do you expect us to create this event for you?" alleged Hackett, annoyed, "the mission files will be sealed anyway, what difference does it make?"

"Oh, no difference Admiral, only the difference of whether the civilizations of the Galaxy will be rejoicing or embittered at Shepard's induction, which would you prefer?"

"That's enough!" Commanded Anderson harshly, "Nihlus, the Alliance will inform you and the Council of any major happenings that will fall under this condition, I'm well aware that we, and by extension Shepard have a lot to prove still. If my second in command is decided on I need to meet with her immediately to discuss the administration and personnel aboard the Alliance's first – Normandy class frigate."

"We will meet again gentlemen," said Nihlus critically, rising from his seat. "Someone should notify Shepard on her very immediate future – if she doesn't know already." All eyes turned to the ambassador, who looked mildly put off as he realised the duty had fallen to him, with heavy heart he activated his extranet messenger VI:

"I'll make the call." He notified them, typing in the soldier's service number, 5923-AC-2826.

* * *

><p>"<em>In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient space faring civilization. In the decades that followed these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.<em>

_They called it the greatest discovery in Human history._

_The civilizations of the Galaxy call it…Mass Effect." _

Samus Aran finished typing the introduction to the secondary Galactic Codex that she had decided to compile for her own posterity. Anything of note relating to how a society with 22nd century technology; had been accelerated to the 24th century in one life time: Relay and Citadel dimensions, incomplete Prothean archives and even mentions of eldritch influences from beyond the Galaxy's horizon...

Her suspicions of an external threat had been confirmed when two of the Corvette's beacons had disappeared in dark space after a year's continual scan, it bred a sense of unease in Aran's mind, soon, very soon the threat would be revealed...

The Savant Mk. X chimed at the instant arrival of a top secret coda from none other than Ambassador Udina himself. It commanded she be recalled to Earth, Aran did not have the second sight of her foster parents but she was occasionally gifted with rare moments of precognition. Right now she experienced her famous sixth sense on a more Universal scale. Something was emerging from behind the Perseus Veil, an ancient evil, the very thing she had come to destroy for the sake of fragile life, clinging to dirt specks in the void of nothingness.

Warning signs had alerted her to the ominous premonitions of war: The communications with the Geth had fractured into two distinctly different chains of binary code before being cut off entirely and the Collectors had all but vanished from the Galactic stage – for now...

Twenty hours later, Samus met Captain David Anderson, the renowned Alliance veteran in person, at the Naval Intelligence Centre in London. They stood at approximately the same height though Anderson was a mite taller because of his large dress shoes – Aran wore civvies and urban crawlers in comparison, her shoulder-length hair styled in a fuzzy look.

_"She reminds me of Kahlee a bit,"_ he mused as he secretly admired her natural golden mane, which was quite unlike the AI scientist's, hers being a dirty, brownish blonde... Yet she was every bit the soldier that Sanders had been an AI specialist... Anderson mentally kicked himself, now was not the time for that. _"Shepard may look like_ a _model, but she's more dangerous than a Spectre for God's sake, get a grip soldier!" _

"I was just saying, Sir..." Aran stated again with some annoyance, Anderson tried to turn his attention back to the matter at hand. "That it's an honour to serve with you, it seems the brass is opting for a fusion of old and young blood for the Normandy's command structure."

"You're right there, Shepard. I have here all the necessary documentation on our crew accompaniment, as well as files impinging on supplies, weaponry, ordinance and an M35 Tank-Class Mako."

"We have an infantry fighting vehicle on a frigate sir?"

"She's a special ship, Commander. State of the art tech, joint-approved by the Council's Turian representatives and some of the top men in the Alliance military-industrial complex."

"Who?" Inquired Aran, her mind immediately jumping to Cerberus sympathizers, they always had their hands in secret projects like this.

"Top, men." Assured Anderson, "I heard that you served with Gunnery Chief Jill Dah on the Thermopylae, I served with her in the First Contact War."

Samus smiled in fond remembrance, "Amy told me about you when you were a Lieutenant yourself, said you hauled her out of that collapsing research base at Sidon."

Anderson couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for those simpler days, when Ambassador Anita Goyle had chaired the Human embassy; the Captain wished he could consider her replacement as able.

"She let you call her Amy?" He said, focusing on the lighter days of the past.

"We were both the Amy's of the unit considering we were taller than all the other men." Aran reminisced, "she met a hero's end on Elysium, I was glad to have known her as a friend."

David decided to retract the informality, he was sure there would be plenty of missions to get to know his XO.

"Well, I'll need you to deal with the organizational matters, Shepard, in preparation for the Normandy's maiden voyage. You'll also help me interview our applicants then orient them, I hear your leadership skills are second to none."

"So I sense you wish me to lead the shore party, although the bulk of my duties are secretarial?"

"Right on the money, Commander. As I'm sure you're aware, the Spectres have taken a very active interest in you. Paperwork will be the least of your problems, now, I though we could meet your fellow squad mates."

Stopping at a large office, Anderson and Samus entered the room to meet the squad of six, to Aran's vexation they seemed to run the gamete from competent to green – unlike the experienced N7 squad she had directed for the past five years.

There was Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, an L2 biotic who was the head of the ship's marine detail, Samus took an immediate liking to the earnest man. The same could not be said for Corporal Richard L. Jenkins, who seemed to retain a perpetual sense of awe when speaking to her, a fact that grated on Aran's nerves like nails against sandpaper.

He was brash and reckless, and Aran worried for his safety, for she could not ensure it. The other four men were much more fitting for such a prestigious team: there were the Privates Josh Fredericks and Jamie Andrews along with 2nd class servicemen Russell Craig and Wahab Singh.

Together, they made a formidable team, Aran foresaw great things ahead for them, great things.

At the Captain's table that evening, Samus ate with the Normandy's newly chosen senior officers, including: Chief Navigator Charles Pressly, Chief Engineer Greg Adams, and one of Anderson's fellow Britons and an old friend, Dr. Karin Chakwas, their Chief Medical Officer.

She had made another firm friend in the interesting guise of Pressly, who appeared on the surface to be guarded and unapproachable, but was in fact a true gentleman, who showed nothing but esteem for the Executive Officer. Adams was a careerist to the max, always with a story to tell and Chakwas was another colourful character, unflappable, droll, a motherly figure to many of the crew.

In comparison, Anderson was composed almost to a fault, as the good doctor described him: "He knows when to let things slide and when to crack the whip, but he cares for the people under his command." She said, responding to Aran's questions concerning him; if there was one word Samus would use about the man, it was statuesque, a man of unyielding principle. A crying shame.

Nearly all the crew had been selected while living and working in the luxury accommodation afforded to them at the Naval Centre. The ship was still under construction in the Alliance dock works by Turian and Human engineers. Aran had only seen the skeleton of the Normandy SR-1; she had also seen a certain Turian Spectre keep constant tabs on her from afar, despite disguising his distinctive eyes and facial markings – it was indubitably Nihlus Kryik.

Team building exercises with her squad kept the huntress busy for most of the time, cooperative assault courses ensured everyone's skills were at peak condition and Aran found herself re-evaluating Jenkins. He was a utterly devoted and proficient at soldiery, following orders without question, it helped that he was the life and soul of any party he attended and was already wildly popular with practically all of the crew.

By extension, this brought Samus into the heart's of all her men since Richard always deferred to her and held her in such high regard. One day when Aran and Kaidan decided to have a biotic duel , Jenkins got a little too close to the action...

Even though the Commander defeated Alenko due to her greater discipline and creativity – she was still mighty impressed with the Lieutenant, his amp often spiked his biotic fields to achieve greater power than an average Asari, it was uncontrollable at times and when Jenkins urged him to lift him into the air with a gravitonic field – the result was highly comical.

Instead of gently rising him off the ground, Alenko sent Jenkins flying upwards, right smack into a metal cross-beam on the ceiling to fall back down with a dull finality. Horrified, Kaidan had fetched Dr. Chakwas, fearing he had crippled his friend, Aran had urged no-one to move him in case of such an outcome. When the two came back Jenkins bounded up as if he was a jack rabbit, yelling: "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

Towards the end of the month, the Normandy began to take form, and what a form it was. Sleek, reflective plates of silver and black ablative armour, elegant trimmed wings and co-axially mounted chemical thrusters. It was a thing of beauty, but it barely compared to what was within.

Aran was one of the few people who could truly comprehend the innovation, the true genius that was the Tantalus drive core. The mathematics and advanced physics that went into its creation would boggle the laymen for the rest of their lives. Adams and Samus spent hours during down time discussing it in private technical argot: the benefits to Normandy's maneuverability, fuel economy and most of all; the fact that it generated enough power for the ship to not even need its thrusters as it commenced silent-running in enemy territory.

All that remained was a helmsman who could handle the experimental vessel, and providentially, they found one in the form of the ailing, smarmy young man Jeffery Moreau. It took Aran less than a second to recognize the Vrolik syndrome sufferer she had defended from Kai Leng eight years ago. A past occurrence that was not lost on the baseball cap wearing pilot either.

He was sarcastic, annoying, maddeningly arrogant, and Samus inexplicably found herself growing fond of 'Joker' as he was known by the crew at large, he was not afraid to voice his concerns despite his illness – it was a defence mechanism of sorts but as a born sympathiser, Aran could always get behind a stellar example of the Human will trumping medically stacked odds.

Elsewhere, Nihlus was updated on an event in the Utopia System by Admiral Hackett, he listened intently then rushed to notify the crew of their imminent departure date, he never noticed one of Saren's many informers overhearing the conversation from a block away, recording it with a directional microphone.

* * *

><p>April 15th 2182, four days after the Commander's 29th <em>birthday<em>, the Normandy was ready for its shakedown run. Samus had heard they were heading for the garden world of Eden Prime, one of Humanity's most settled colonies. She played her part along with Anderson as he consecrated the Normandy with a champagne bottle to the applause of Human and Turian Citadel reps, then boarded the SR-1 which took to the skies above Britain under Joker's coaxing.

The Hunter gazed out of the Normandy's lower view port from her own room, watching as Earth diminished from afar to an outwardly white planetoid. She recalled the dying words of Sylux: _"They are death, the darkness! Replicated themselves, advance guard, demiurge wiped out the Alimbic Empire, THEY WILL DAMN US ALL!" _Aran opened her locker and pulled out her weather-beaten, battle-scarred, heavy Onyx armour, her four silver cased fire arms, full faced sealant helmet and a grenade dispenser.

Pulling on the under suit and plated overlay, she fine-tuned the removable, three-inch-thick pauldron, the iron knuckle gloves and magnetized boots. Then booted the advanced medical and shield suites, which linked directly to her nerve interfacing Chozo omni tool and self-made biotic amp.

The mechanized joints hummed to life and the in-built oxygen tank hissed with its payload of breathable air, lastly the shield emitter on her spine glowed with its rechargeable eezo exclusion field, interlocking with her biotic barrier.

Ready for battle, Aran snapped the Paralyzer to the magnetic housing on her right hip, her G-922 assault rifle and U-44 Mk. VII sniper rifle to the magnets on her back and her Sokolov and grenade dispenser on the left of her belt above her backside. Finally, Samus attached her field-kit under her protective vambrace: containing medi gel and ceramic upgrade parts for many weapon add-on's.

Leaving her helmet on her desk, she left her quarters and marched for the twin set of stair cases to the upper level. They had overtaken Mars and the asteroid belt, every crew member on duty stood and saluted their Commander. Taking the stairs with long strides Aran entered the bridge and passed Russell and Jamie who both snapped of salutes. Jupiter disappeared in a blink as the Normandy sped past Sol's largest planet.

Joker's voice came over the intercom. "The Arcturus Prime relay is in range, initiating transmission sequence."

Richard practically dived out of the way as the black and red armoured N7 Operative cut a swathe through the CIC, though he did have time to acknowledge his superior with a breathless -

"Commander!"

The Normandy arced over Neptune at Faster than light speed, Pressly gave Aran a firm nod as she walked by, at the same time inputting co-ordinates with practiced ease.

"We are connected," informed the helmsman. "Calculating transit mass and destination." Samus stepped with the gait of one in complete control along the bridges walkway towards the cockpit, every member of the bridge staff working with matchless efficiency.

"The relay is hot, acquiring approach vectors." Normandy was fast approaching the alien construct, Aran had decided to come to the bridge when she had seen an old acquaintance on the ship-board cameras, even from behind she knew it to be Nihlus Kryik, overseeing the relay jump.

"All stations, secure for transit." Warned Joker, his hands whizzing over the dials and buttons of the haptic display. Nihlus stood with his arms crossed, watching the venture come to its final outcome. A member of the brigs security team was glaring at the Turian Spectre with barely disguised mistrust; Aran pushed him aside effortlessly, giving him an unspoken command to get back to his prescribed duties. The soldier blenched at his superior's silent reprimand and trotted away, chastised. Nihlus's mandibles twitched in thanks as the huntress drew level with him and exchanged looks through body language alone.

Samus looked upon the relay not with awe, but with an intense, searching stare. What secrets did the network contain? What connections?

"The board is green, approach run has begun. Hitting the relay in three…two…one." The incandescent blue fields of dark energy engulfed the Normandy and snapped it up, propelling them through a dark matter corridor in seconds, straight into the Exodus Cluster.

The two warriors watched as Jeff and Alenko, who was acting as the co-pilot, checked the readings of Normandy's first jump. Joker gave his superiors a concise report: "Thrusters…check, navigation…check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500 k.

Nihlus spoke calmly, "1500 is good. Your Captain will be pleased." He turned and left, Joker swivelled around in his chair slightly, watching the Turian's outline recede, after making sure he was out of earshot he spun back to the controls and muttered: "I hate that guy."

Aran rolled her eyes and Kaidan voiced her own misgivings on Jeff's less than ubiquitous sense of political correctness.

"Nihlus gave you a compliment," reminded Alenko. "So you hate him?" The poor LT was not prepared for Joker's scything comeback.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good, I just jumped us halfway across the Galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" The N7 Operative had to admit that Joker was good at subverting another's words, it was one of the many aspects of his idiosyncratic behaviour that she had read in his psych profile.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble." He told them as if he had been specially informed above the rest. "I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid." Finished Joker glibly.

"You're paranoid?" Kaidan retorted in disbelief. "The Council helped _fund_ this project, they have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

Aran's thoughts were still lingering on Gorea, Sylux's final words and the relays inherent eeriness, she was brought back to the situation at hand by Joker's surprisingly incisive retort.

"Yeah, that is the _official_ story. But only _an idiot_ believes the official story."

"They do not send Spectres on trifling shakedown runs." Stated Aran, Joker and Alenko flinched as they realised that their Commander had been listening to them bad mouth her Spectre friend, when no disciplinary tirade was forthcoming Joker eagerly jumped onto Aran's bandwagon.

"So there's more going on here than meets the –"

"Joker! Status report." Snapped Captain Anderson over Joker's radio console. Hasty to please Joker replied with all the professionalism he could muster.

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good, find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way"

"He's already here, Lieutenant." Said Anderson curtly, causing Samus and Alenko to grin at Joker's evident discomfort.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"You get that Commander?" Asked Joker, Aran decided to make him sweat a little in revenge for his Spectre-bashing.

"Great, you pissed the Captain off and now I'm going to pay for it." She growled, leaving the implicit threat hanging above Joker's head, Jeff spluttered indignantly in response.

"Pffft, don't blame me! The Captain always sounds like that."

"Only when he's talking to you Joker." Interposed Kaidan with a wry smile, Samus left the two grown men to bicker away as she headed for the comm room.

Pressly and Adams had similar misgivings about Nihlus's intentions aboard the Normandy, even Jenkins was wary. For her part, Aran knew that whatever the reason he was here for, it meant that something big was going down, as in, the lives of millions on the line big, as in, secret-mission-from-the-Council-big.

"What do you think Commander? We won't be on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!" Voiced Jenkins excitedly. Aran faced him gravely, unsure of what to say that would put an end to his careless boyishness. Dr. Chakwas came to her rescue.

"I sincerely hope you're kidding Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."

"She's right Jenkins, only a fool goes looking for a fight." Castigated Samus.

"Sorry Commander, but this waiting is killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not with a Spectre on board!"

"Treat this like every other assignment you've had and this will all work out fine." She cautioned,

"That's easy for you to say. You proved yourself in the Blitz. Everybody knows what you can do." Rushed Jenkins trying to find a suitable reason for his anticipation, "this is my big chance, I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You're young Corporal, you have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up." Aran hoped these words would not ring true literally for the immature soldier.

"Don't worry Commander, I'm not going to mess this up." Assured Richard.

"The Captain needs to see me."

"Goodbye, Commander." Karin said while Jenkins nodded gamely.

After quickly checking on the other four marines, Aran entered the comm room to see Nihlus engrossed in projected images of Eden Prime's green hills and impressive skyscrapers.

Just over two metres away Nihlus sensed her presence: "I almost didn't hear you."

"Few ever do," she replied. With a small laugh Nihlus turned around and addressed her in his customary probing manner:

"Commander Shepard, I was hoping you'd get here first, it will give us some time to talk."

"What about?" Posed Aran, playing their usual game of verbal tennis that they had started two years ago. Nihlus peered at her closely, Samus commenced their customary staring duel as well. She'd never lost.

"I'm interested in this world we're going to."

"_I'll just bet you are."_

"Eden Prime," he said rolling the foreign words around in his mouth experimentally. "I've heard its quite beautiful."

"_Beauty that's about to be tarnished?"_

"They say it's a paradise." She said aloud, trying to draw more out of his allusions.

"Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your species, hasn't it?"

"_This should be good." _

"Proof that Humanity cannot only establish colonies among the stars but also protect them, but how safe is it really?" He asked Aran, his tone changing from conversational to ominous in a heart-beat.

"Are you trying to scare me Spectre?" She scoffed.

"the Galaxy can be a very dangerous place Shepard. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

The huntress didn't know what to articulate, she relied on being forewarned of events through research and contacts, whatever was happening, it was a very recent development.

The comm rooms door whooshed open and Captain Anderson entered, Aran didn't bother to jump to attention as her superior had made sure they were on pretty much equal footing regarding authority.

"I think its time we let the Commander in on what's _really_ going on." Said Anderson, Nihlus agreed, facing Samus and announced one short sentence.

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

"I figured there was something you weren't telling us." Aran replied slyly.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime, that's why I needed the stealth systems operational." Anderson told Shepard.

"What's the payload Captain?"

"An archaeological dig unearthed some kind of beacon, they have determined that it is in fact, Prothean."

Everything crystallized into being for Aran, the secrets of the last empire to inhabit this regimented Galaxy! What revelations would it shed light on? This was the moment she had waited a decade for!

"A functional data cache of the Prothean legacy?" She raised the question in wonder.

"I'm glad you appreciate the gravity of this situation, Shepard. The last time Humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere Human concerns Commander, this breakthrough could affect every species in Citadel Space." Added Nihlus with caution behind his words. Immediately Samus understood, it would be a political coup for the Alliance to achieve this advancement, the Council and the Turian Hierarchy in particular would share the glory, depending on the advancements, her place in the Spectres would be secured, it could even lead to Humanity gaining a Council seat! Only if, they managed to retrieve a fifty thousand year old relic, unharmed from the Verge's frontier, this was going to be fraught with danger.

"Are we expecting trouble?" Asked Aran, her brilliant mind searching out possible foes, the Batarians, pirates, maybe some of the more powerful PMCs operating in the Terminus, or even her two shy insular societies, one a gestalt, the other a hive.

"I'm always expecting trouble." Said Nihlus forbiddingly.

"Nihlus isn't just here for the beacon Commander," Anderson continued as Nihlus went to stand beside his fellow soldier. "He's also here to evaluate you."

"Of course," smiled Samus in jest as she glanced at the Spectre next to her, "guess that explains why I bump into him every time a turn around." Nihlus averted his eyes, feeling a mixture of pride and shame that his _student _had seen through his disguises so easily.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority," Anderson urged, smacking his fist into his palm for emphasis. "If they accept a Human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"You held off an enemy force on Elysium, _single-handed_. You showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That is why I have put your name forward for the Spectres." The huntress was touched to see that Nihlus had no tricks intertwined with his compliments, it was the sincerest praise he could give and coming from a Spectre, it carried great weight with the Council's final decision.

"Just tell me what I have to do."

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander." He winked as he spoke, he had seen and felt well enough what she was capable of inflicting, at this stage field mentorship was an informality. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together." Again, the Chozo-Human hybrid felt a cold hand on the nape of her neck, a chilling presentiment, things were going to go wrong... No, she couldn't think like that.

"You'll lead the ground team, Shepard." Anderson informed her. "Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

"Ready and able, Sir."

"We should be getting close to – "

"Captain!" Blared Joker's voice over the intercom. No pithy remark on his bearded mouth, he sounded almost panicked.

"What's wrong, Joker." Replied Anderson, feeling the sudden rise in tension.

"Transmission from Eden Prime sir, you better see this."

"_Didn't think it would happen that soon…" _Brooded Aran.

"Bring it up on screen," the Captain ordered.

Anarchy. The planet's marine forces stationed there were under attack from an unidentified foe, taking heavy casualties as men and women were cut down by bursts of cobalt tracer rounds unlike any weapon fire Aran had witnessed. One of the soldiers pleaded desperately for imminent evacuation, right before his head was smeared across the camera lens. A few seconds later, the partially wiped clean camera was turned skywards; catching a glimpse of a gargantuan ship, burning through the planets orbit, before an explosion cut out the live feed. Leaving nothing but static.

"There's no comm traffic after that, Captain. It just goes dead, there's nothing." Said Joker, unusually morose.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5."

A close-up of the huge ship came up on the view screen, Aran had to contain her disquiet at the uncanny likeness of the vessel to that ancient entity she had destroyed so long ago. Nihlus's mandibles flared outwards, a sign of confusion at the appearance of a completely foreign dreadnought.

"Joker, status report."

"Thirty minutes out Captain, no other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in Joker, fast and quite. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus took charge, "a small strike team can move quickly, without attracting attention..." Aran continued to look at the ship, like a great hand reaching out to seize the earth for its own, she knew that a part of the puzzle that had eluded her for nearly ten years was staring, right back at her.

In the cargo hold, Aran and Nihlus led the six marines to the rear loading doors, where Jenkins and Alenko began to suit-up, the other four already being fully armed and armoured. Nihlus inspected his HMW Mk. VI shotgun and assault rifle, the black brushed weaponry was head and shoulders above the Alliance standard issue, though it was not as heavily customised as Shepard's silver chrome, electroplated, Rosenkov manufactured weapons.

Everyone with the exception of Nihlus put on helmets, with Aran wearing a full-face plate. It's grille-like mouth made it look like a Samurai mask. Singh, Fredericks, Craig, Andrews, Jenkins and Alenko all wore three-quarter head gear. They were more easily bothered by the heat of wearing a full-body hard suit for prolonged periods of time than Samus was, she had grown very accustomed to full containment for days if not weeks on end. And shields mattered more than armour, or so conventional wisdom would hold...

"Your team is the muscle in this operation Shepard," said Anderson. "Go in hard and head straight for the dig site."

The N7 Guardian gave him a wordless nod while Alenko spoke up with a concern.

"What about survivors Captain?"

"Help any that you can, but that's a secondary objective. Remember, the beacon is your top priority."

"Nihlus, you're coming with us?" Asked Jenkins, on tenterhooks.

The Spectre lined down the sight of his shotgun then replied flatly, "I work faster on my own." He and Aran had decided on the plan to work separately as they had descended through the ship, the huntress felt a pang of envy, as good a squad leader as she was – she preferred blessed solitude. She was always relatively sure of keeping her own life safe, being responsible for six others was a different matter entirely.

"Approaching drop point one." Alerted Joker, the loading bay doors cracked open hydraulically, a sliver of sunlight shone through the bloodstained clouds. Nihlus ran forward and leapt fearlessly from the Normandy, no-one could survive a hundred foot plunge to the ground below, but advances in deployment and extraction had been made in that time.

A gravitonic decelerator, of which there was a row of ten on the ceiling of the exit; flared to life, synching with the Spectre's shield emitter and slowing his fall in a channel of dark energy so that he alighted in a forested clearing much faster than rappelling but not with enough force to cause injury.

The Normandy had hardly slowed down as Nihlus made his drop, Aran activated her heads-up-display, which beamed the shield and armour integrity of her and her troops onto the team's retinas.

"Lock and load men." Aran commanded, they all draw their assault rifles and snapped thermal clips into their weapons, each 'magazine' contained thirty heat sinks, ten reloads, thirty rounds per sink, giving them three hundred rounds per clip. Each marine had ten spare thermal clips. After that they would have to switch to the specialized lithium sink. Though this allowed for sustained fire as long as heat was managed, it did not have the same stopping power of the disposable sinks, for they allowed for greater heat expenditure per accelerated grain and in return more powerful velocities, at the cost of a slower rpm.

"Nihlus will send you updates throughout the mission, otherwise, I want radio silence." Anderson ordered.

"We've got his back Captain." Avowed Aran.

"The mission's yours now Shepard, good luck!" Aran's team got into position, then jumped.

Mass Effect bubbles lowered the Commander and her team at a reasonable pace, only she didn't roll from the base jumps heavy landing, never lowering her eyes from a battlefield, that and she didn't even feel the strain on her ankles, knees, pelvis and spine.

Rising from her crouched position, Samus drew the Paralyzer while the rest raised their rifles, advancing as a singular unit they covered every angle of the fielded ridge they had been deposited on, with Aran on point.

"Area secured, Commander." Reported Alenko, Samus responded with a hand signal that told Wahib to move up over the rocky pass, another mute command to Fredericks to take cover down in the gulley. One by one, she sent her team ahead while she advanced further in front, scanning the area, while they watched her back.

It was a terrifying example of military precision and ingenuity, every shift was made with ten plans in reserve for future tactics. Like a master chess player Aran moved her pieces down through the forest valley, over a rutted field then through another wood and out onto a boulder-strewn cliff edge. They had met nothing but native gasbags for the time being.

The woman once feared as the Red Death had only received one call from Nihlus in that time: "this place got hit hard Commander, keep your guard up."

"_No shit, Spectre." _She thought, the ion scorched sky was the result of massive electrical discharges, most likely from that dreadnoughts atmospheric re-entry, weapons fire and screams were the constant background noise of the once peaceful settlement. And blackened bodies were their only company.

The N7 squad leader's precautions finally paid off, as the team moved up the rise, the zipping sound of enemy fire ricocheting off rock and wood welcomed them. Jamie and Richard laid down suppressing fire as Samus, Kaidan and Russell spread out to stop themselves from being pinned down. Returning shots in equal measure, Aran noted there was around ten hostiles around the tree line according to her mini-map, they managed to wither them down in spite of them having the high ground. Singh began to snipe some while Alenko and Craig popped out from various different sides of cover to confuse their attackers.

As the enemy troops diminished, their targeting became more erratic and even Jenkins managed to score some kills, with a few adjustments of her omni tool, Aran assembled an under-barrel grenade launcher out of twelve ceramic intersecting pieces, fixed it to her G- 922, inserted a conventional air-foil, high explosive canister grenade, leaned out of cover – and fired.

The explosion lit the surrounding trees as the red blips on her radar died away. But not for long, Aran had no idea that drones could fly for extended periods of time, let alone that high, these enemy variants did. Cresting the edge of the fifty metre cliff they silently flanked Jenkins, just as Aran had sent him up.

From within five metres, the two little air-borne robots sprayed liquid drop pellets of tungsten with the deadly, recoilless accuracy of a machine, shredding his shields within a second and eating straight through him to his vitals in half that time. Corporal Richard L. Jenkins juddered on the spot, let out a gurgling, horrendous cry as his insides turned to putty from the hydrostatic shock, then fell.

"_No... He can't be dead, not Jenkins, not him, always full of bouncing life, he'll get up like he did last time."_ Prayed Kaidan, barely noticing Aran and Andrews disable the drones with a sabotage and overload field, bereft of shields and weaponless the flyers were target practice.

Running forward, Kaidan cast his rifle aside and fumbled for a pulse on the Corporal's throat, nothing. Sadly, he closed Richard's eyes and stood as his Commander and four comrades approached.

"Ripped right through his shields," he informed her in a choked voice, "never had a chance." He couldn't detect any discernible emotion in Shepard's voice as she looked at the form that had once been a man full of promise and a bright future.

"Sometimes soldiers die," she worded tonelessly, looking around at the other men with fire in her eyes. "The rest of us have to carry on... Alenko. Kaidan!"

The lieutenant snapped back to attention, he had been lost in his grief.

"I need you to stay focused, soldier. We still have to find that beacon. We'll mourn him later."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

The last of the Chozo guarded her brood even closer after the loss of Jenkins, it had been fate, pure and simple that his number had come up when it did, he had not deserved to die where he had grown up, few sentients ever got what they truly deserved... They were nearing the dig sites coordinates – Nihlus's voice came over the radio.

"Got a lot of burned out buildings here Shepard, _lot_ of bodies, any idea who we're fighting on your end?"

"Not yet, their tech is radically different, all I've found is white conducting fluid and self-destructed corpses, some kind of machine race?"

"There's only one known AI community in the Galaxy..."

So _they_ were here. Her troops feared no man alive, but as luminous orbs stared out from around the dark woods encircling them and synthetic chattering broke the silence like the giggling of some infernal machine, it was quite obvious that they were not fighting living, breathing, men.

"Geth." Uttered Aran as the beings that had not been sighted for three hundred years showed themselves en masse and surrounded the six Humans, a perfect ambush.


	12. 28 Minutes Later

**A/N: A day late, apologies everyone, revision is keeping me busy for my January examinations, happy New Year to all though! My resolution is to get chapters out much faster for you guys great enough to read them! Many thanks! Prepare to experience horror, seriously, Reaper tech is nauseating… **

"_I think the point is to make us despair, to reject our own humanity, Damien: to see ourselves as ultimately bestial, without dignity; ugly; unworthy. To reject the possibility that God could love us…perhaps evil is the crucible of goodness – And perhaps Satan in spite of himself – somehow serves to work out the will of God." _

_(Father Lankester Merrin) _

**28 Minutes Later**

Any squad leader caught in a pincer manoeuvre naturally faces a massacre, using their cyber-warfare scrambling suites the Geth had managed to catch Aran's ground team completely unawares. They did not feel fear, anger or hate for the organics, they did not even breathe as the 'platforms' leveled their smooth, fold-out rifles; the build purpose-made for stripping shields and flesh alike.

The marines trusted their Commander with their lives and this time she would not fail them like she had done the squad of the Thermopylae and poor Jenkins. For Samus Aran possessed powers and abilities far beyond ordinary men and women. However, her greatest talent lay not in her physical qualities alone; it lay in her unconquerable mind. As long as she lived she would never concede to an enemy, she would always find their smallest, most unobvious weakness to exploit – that's who she was. That's who she is.

So many lifetimes ago, she had nursed her naturally insatiable desire for knowledge and exploration within the forests of her home world. Observing the flora and fauna with an eye that would be whetted by those who had once been the Universes greatest warriors. All of her training, battles, losses, victories they had shaped and defined her into a creature who had became one with her surroundings. Twenty 'beings' of bunched, synthetic fibres and electrical nerve interfaces, operating on a unique Gestalt consciousness were nothing compared to her level of enlightenment, of supreme clarity that Aran experienced as she looked at death. She greeted her old friend as she had so may times before, without regret, without wretchedness, but with acceptance.

A huge one-way biotic barrier distorted into existence around the squad, soaking up the Geth's ammunition like a sponge would water. Needing three seconds of cool down time while the nodes reconfigured for another firing sequence was the same as an eternity. Samus took no time at all in charging six of the Geth troopers, the arc of her assault rifles bullets tore three into polymer pieces, the armour piercing rounds splitting and reflecting off inner components, causing incredible damage.

Ordinary trooper variants of Geth platforms were about as useful at melee combat as a blunted can opener. Aran drove the nose of her rifle into the glowing eye-piece, the immense force channeled into a tiny surface area caused the arched 'skull' to disintegrate under the blow. The last two fared no better as she swept her elbow upwards and then to the side, both rifle-butts snapped the spinal tubing as their flash-light heads bent at lolling angles, then they crumpled like pathetic plastic mannequins.

Aran had not launched a counter-offensive with no plan, just before she had proceeded to take care of her batch she had signaled Kaidan and the others with military hand gestures and mild psionic suggestion to attack simultaneously. Each had focused on three targets: Alenko sent his three hurtling into a rock formation with a biotic push, Singh slashed them to 'death' with his machete, lopping off arms and heads and sending sprays of white 'blood' everywhere. Andrews, who was a kung fu expert, batted them off their feet with well-versed kicks then executed them on the ground with his pistol. Fredericks and Craig stood back-to-back, kneeling to present a smaller target, concentrated bursts of assault rifle fire finished off the stragglers; everyone rose, splattered in the bizarre conductant.

For all their technical advantages, the machines had calculated that the organics would panic, be easy pickings as they attempted to surrender or mount a suicidal attack as the 212 had. They had miscalculated. Badly. The six Humans had done together what none of them alone could have, and they did it within the span of five seconds.

"Fan out!" Shouted Aran into her radio, the marine's cochlear implants meant that they could filter their Commander's orders during the hundred decibel-laden fire fights. It was a beautiful depiction of giftedly organized combat, every time one of the marines reloaded or ran to cover, their comrades attacked in their stead, forcing the synthetics back , out of the forest, towards the plateau, and the wide open mouth of a canyon.

As their hive mind decreased in consensual power, the Geth platoon were ended by the arrival of a single colonial marine. She came sprinting full-pelt out of the canyon, white and pink body armour a sharp contrast to the smog-choked red skyline. A pair of flying Geth drones pursued her, drawing her handgun, the woman cut down two of the androids, then spun and slid on her rear backwards; the drone's fire shot over her head – and she took them down with pin-point shots to their processors. Scrambling up, the female marine was pulled behind a hillock by Aran just as a warhead imploded into the patch of ground she had been lying on milliseconds before.

The two women responded with assault rifle bursts, whittling down the shields of the last Geth on the floor of the canyon entrance.

"Alenko, Craig! Overload, ten and two o' clock!" Yelled their Commander, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams watched in awe as three omni tools lit up, two MPs and the N7 officer's: blue-lit tech mines hurtled forth and exploded in the Geth's midst with a crackling, sparking discharge of light. With violent shrieks of binary, the machines shuddered, sapphire rain cascading down their chassis's, then they blew up: the electro magnetic pulse expanding the oil in their electrodes to incredible pressure, causing them to go off.

Ashley let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, the synthetic son's-of-bitches could be destroyed! She beheld her rescuers and their squad leader, the tall woman with the forceful stare, this was not someone to cross…

"Thank you Commander –" Gasped Williams, Samus raised her palm in a silencing motion, scrutinizing the activity occurring on the ridge high up. Ashley and the rest of the squad looked along Aran's line of sight; what they saw made their blood curdle.

The Geth dragged corpses of the dead to small metal pedestals that lined the canyon's cliff top, and dumped them on top of the trestle tables. Spikes burst from underneath the cadavers, impaling them through the chest as the devices extended to nearly twenty feet. The grim spectacle was a warning, a row of dragons teeth that obtruded from the earth, devices on the base began to glow into life, some sinister process was at work.

Ashley and the others bore sickened expressions, Samus remained blank, the psychological desecration's skating off her mental armour. When the Geth moved to skewer more dead colonists and marines – Jimmy retched and nearly threw up, Wahib held his heart, whispering "Shiva deliver them." While Ashley could no longer contain her grief and broke into tears as her friends were displayed in the depraved defilement.

Incensed to the point of fury, Singh raised his sniper rifle to avenge the homesteaders. Aran slapped the scope down and held it firmly, eying the marine under her with a mixture of admiration and pity. _"So young, so naive." _

"You'll give away our position Private, they have us outgunned and outmatched at range. See the artillery they're packing?" She elucidated for the benefit of all. Singh nodded, his face etched in sorrow, and folded his weapon.

"They are trying to scare us." Continued Aran, "but we, will not, let them." She declared with a timbre of unquestionable bravery, the warmth of her voice sweeping aside the fears that gripped her team's hearts. She looked each one of them in the eyes in turn to reassure them; then attended to the newcomer.

"I need a status report, are you injured?" She said soothingly to the distraught woman, the full-lipped, brown-eyed, tanned soldier pulled herself together, considering the carnage she had just witnessed, Samus was mildly impressed, most people vomited the first time they saw death, she was certainly not most people.

"A few minor cuts and burns ma'am, nothing serious, they hit us at the dig site, they had orbital fire support, I've been running for my life ever since. I think – I think I'm the only one left. " Aran quickly recognised the onset of survivor's guilt and moved to quell those self-destructive feelings.

"It wasn't your fault, you _couldn't_ have done _anything_ to save them." She stressed.

"Yes ma'am," said the abrasion covered marine in a voice muffled with mourning.

"What's your name kid?"

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212th colonial marines ma'am."

"We're here for the Prothean beacon Williams, join us, we could use a woman of your talents." Ashley's watery smile hardened into a "woe betide anyone who gets in my way" expression.

"Thanks ma'am, its time for payback."

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, good to have you on the team." He welcomed, after introducing the others he said: "Have you seen the beacon, is it still at the dig site?"

"It was the last time I was there, the day before yesterday." Replied Ashley.

"Intel that's over 24 hours old isn't worth squat in the field," said Russell in dissatisfaction.

"All of you, get over here now!" Snapped Samus irritably, "assume defensive positions, one of these automatons hasn't self-destructed its internal components, lets see what we can find out about our _veiled foe_." Activating the neural omni tool, she bisected the Geth's back-pack antennae and began to hack into its data hub. Secretly, she transmitted thousands of reams of archaic Kal'eesh coding to Adam for translation, the encryption protocols for anti-radar and communications scrambling were her immediate targets. No tech specialist in the whole of the Alliance fleet could attempt such a thing, but Aran had worked alongside much more advanced AI's in the past.

"Everyone switch over to the encoded channel I'm about to transmit. By using quantum cryptology, I can rebound the Geth's disruptor signals to adversely interfere with their own radar, while simultaneously isolating us from their hacking sub-routines." Kaidan Alenko was a proficient decryption expert in his own right, but as he risked a peek at Shepard's work he was dumbfounded at the complexity of the task; her hand seemed to glide over multiple haptic displays, at the same time cutting through processors and hard drives with a non-lethal omni blade – it was comparable to an artisan blowing molten glass into an intricate lattice of three dimensional splendour.

"Transmitting now," she updated them. Samus switched to her private comlink as the thirty second upload began, it used similar tech to the nano-crystular entanglement communicator that had been inbuilt into her Varia suit's helmet, an advantage of her body replicating trace amounts of the exceptional element every week – atoms were all she needed to amalgamate shadowy reflections of Chozo capabilities into Eezo-based technology.

"Barghest 5 this is Pride 1," she said referring to Nihlus's codename, none but they would know about these exchanges.

"Copy that Pride 1," verified the Turian Spectre. "Knowing you this line is probably heavily encrypted, ah, thanks for the combat optics purge, those tin men have managed to ambush me several times. This should make their job harder."

"Any activity from the mother ship we saw?"

"Its been patrolling over the second space port landing, I've got several readings from the exterior, auditory, power out-put, mass of hull. Do you want a copy?"

"Yes, lets not put all our eggs in one basket."

"Pardon?" Queried Nihlus as he passed on the chunky digital file.

"Human idiom Spectre, don't worry about it. We're nearly at the excavation – report back in approximately twenty minutes."

"Roger that, I've got some burned out buildings here, I'll check it out and meet you at the dig site, Barghest 5 out."

Samus rose from sitting on her haunches and briefed the team: "We now have a playing field advantage, Williams, Craig you're on fire support. Alenko, Singh, cover the flanks. Fredericks, Jimmy, you're up front with me. Mix up armaments to keep them off balance, we go in hard and we obliterate them."

Once more Aran's team spread out over the landscape and took high and low roads into the canyon, working their way in like a ghost's shade, Ashley was lying to herself slightly if she didn't admit she was somewhat intimidated by the Lioness of Elysium. she had not been sure, but Russell had confirmed their leader was indeed the legendary Aran Shepard. She who had brought them through Geth crossfire without a scratch; now positioned them to overwhelm the Geth party that was holed up in the archaeological dig site, where the research team had come across the beacon.

It did not take long for the surprise attack to decimate the Geth, without their jamming equipment and blind to their impending aggressors from all sides of the ravines; which were perfect perches to rain metal down on the invaders of Eden Prime, they didn't stand a chance.

Reloading a thermal clip, Williams gratefully accepted some ceramic field-kit upgrades from the Alenko, she noticed Shepard handing out grenades and specialized ammunition blocks of phosphorous incendiary rounds to her troops. The woman had orchestrated the assault as if it had been nothing.

She wasn't prepared for the absence of their mission objective.

"Williams, its not here," she stated, expectantly anticipating her to illuminate the problem.

"It – it must have been moved, it was right here!"

"By who? Our side or the Geth?"

"Difficult to say, to the research camp maybe, the 213 was with the scientists there, perhaps their unit fared better than mine."

"_Maybe, perhaps, was, fared, meaning to try. Too many conditions for my liking."_ Mused Samus, _"the girl can handle a gun but she needs to work on managing a team."_ Keying in Nihlus's frequency she responded to the chirp of her comlink.

"Shepard, change of plan. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I'm going to investigate, rendezvous with you there."

"Roger Barghest 5, Pride 1 out. Good luck Nihlus." There was a chilling finality as Aran terminated the communications, she couldn't help but feel that her friend was in mortal danger, but he was a Spectre, he could certainly look after himself she reminded.

"Move out!" She called, they headed up the mountain roads to where the ragged maw of fangs complete with Human sacrifices awaited them.

"She doesn't talk much does she?" Conversed Ashley with the Lieutenant, who smiled faintly in response.

"That's the thing about Shepard, she doesn't often speak unless everyone's bound to take notice of what she's saying."

The hill top was home to a ruin of a science outpost, charred earth and the alien devices replete with their victims was all that remained.

"Christ Almighty!" Whispered Fredericks as he beheld the changes wrought on the occupants of the dragons teeth. "What did the Geth do to them!"

Ashley recoiled at the sight of her former comrades, as did a few of the men, only Wahib, Kaidan and Shepard remained stony faced. The bodies had decomposed within the half hour, their skin taking on a dappled bluish grey of a corpse that had been dead for days, tubing and wires criss-crossed under and over the skin like a road-map, fusing into a dry black sludge of necrotic flesh. Metallic extensions had eaten through the spine, abdomen and reproductive organs, they glowed with a wan blue light, and were spreading over the appendages. The worst aspect of the body horror and conversion though, was that the faces of the men and women. It had been dehydrated of every precious mineral found in water, a leering, gaunt monstrosity, with sunken, white, mad, staring eyes; filled with unrecognisable, unadulterated rage.

"Lieutenant, take some scans of that machinery." Samus told him while drawing the Paralyzer and guarding his back. Kaidan scanned the base with his omni tool:

"It seems to be drawing out even the trace elements that cause a human body to run…and – replacing sinews and nerves with cybernetics that are – actively propagating themselves throughout the host."

"Nanites," Samus furrowed her brow. "Machinery that can assume organic traits on a nano-scopic level. Currently beyond even our finest scientific minds, the Geth have no reason to do this, they wouldn't conceive of an idea like this."

"How can you be sure Commander?" Questioned Kaidan.

"Because an AI community that hasn't had contact with organics for centuries couldn't have such data on Humanity. We've never even met them until today; there's another party involved here."

Aran's train of though was banished by a chorus of wheezing death rattles coming from the 'deceased' which nearly caused the team's morale to break then and there.

"Oh God! They're still alive!" Sobbed Williams in despair as the reanimated bodies of her friends crackled with mysterious energy transferred from the base of the spikes; then they began to retract back into themselves.

What were now empty husks of sentient beings, driven only by a need to kill anything in sight, pulled their skeletal forms off the pedestals and shambled forward at a terrifyingly fast gait, swinging their barbed, clawed hands and gnashing their filed teeth in a frenzy of blood lust.

There was around twenty of the zombies rushing to tear the seven marines apart, the creatures spewed forth particle gases from their bloated chest and throat, spores of Nanites that would infect anyone who breathed them in. thirty feet away.

"To me! Back to back!" Directed their Commander, "activate helmet seals and hold this position!" Twenty feet away, with a hiss, environmental masks closed around the mouths of her six allies, fifteen feet away.

"Alenko! Biotic combo Pi Tau!" Kaidan yanked five of the monsters into the air with a gravitonic pull field while Josh, Russell and Ashley brought shotguns into play once their targets had reached mid-range. Jamie and Wahib held down the triggers of their assault rifles, carving the beasts into chunks of dead meat while their comrades set many ablaze with their inferno ammunition. Samus manipulated two, visible throw fields into being, the one thousand plus Newton force was quadrupled by the lack of gravity enclosing the peeling, rind-covered mistakes; causing them to shoot into the canyon wall and spatter into black-green, oozing travesties of what they had once been.

"Take out their legs!" Accelerator rounds tore through desiccated sinew and bone, amputating several, Ashley curb stomped one's brains into the ground, Jamie ducked a claw swing and punched the husk in the mouth, flooring it – a hasty side kick knocked one back, a repeat kick sent it crashing down where Wahib buried his machete up to the hilt in its heart.

The husks could spread panic and ruin among unarmed civilians, but against the highly trained marines and their unbeatable squad leader they broke like a wave against a sea cliff. Bubbling in viscous fluids, they began to melt into the earth, leaving only the raped endoskeleton behind. The team inhaled and exhaled heavily as they silently rejoiced just being alive. Their Commander was scanning the remains for future reference in combating their former friends, now the raised dead.

Sifting through the remains of the camp, Kaidan had a petrifying epiphany, they had left Jenkins in that clearing over a mile away, the Geth were still out there, what if they found the body and…

"Humans! Thank the Maker!" Cried out a surviving scientist who had just exited one of the pre-fab buildings. The marines congregated around the two archaeological experts, Williams quickly identified them as Dr. Warren who had been in charge of the excavation and her assistant Dr. Manuel.

"They gave their lives to protect us," Warren said tearfully, "we moved the beacon to the spaceport yesterday."

"What can you tell me about it?" Asked Samus.

"Its some kind of data archive from a Galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved. It could be the greatest Human discovery of our lifetime!" Her assistant seemed to disagree, speaking in disjointed fragments, he was cracking up.

"We have unearthed the heart of evil. Awakened the beast! Unleashed the darkness!" He rambled, his features twisted in one of abject terror. The squad looked uneasily at each other but the Commander simply turned to Warren with a admonitory question of: "What's wrong with your assistant?"

"Manuel has a brilliant mind but he's always been a bit…" Her assistant was now muttering random phrases, facing away from the others and hugging his arms. "…Unstable." She persisted, "the attack has unbalanced him, genius and madness are two sides of the same coin." She finished lamely, the huntress was starting to match the speech patterns to a dying old mercenary, on that fateful day so many years ago. Manuel started at Warren, sounding increasingly agitated.

"Is it madness to see the future? To see darkness rushing towards us? To understand that there is no salvation, _no hope!_ No…I – am – not – mad. I'm the only _Sane one left!" _

Samus decided to take matters into her own hands, he was dangerous and crazed, she had run into enough psychos to tell them apart.

"Say goodnight Manuel…" She said in a disturbingly sing-song voice, looming over the smaller man.

"You cannot silence me! MY VOICE MUST BE HEARD!"

'WHAM!' The N7 Operative caught the weedy scientist on the chin with a blindingly fast, pulled tap-cross, it was so swift that everyone else didn't realise what had happened until Manuel's lights were punched out and he lay in a heap on the floor.

"Oh my God!" Dr. Warren cried out in shock.

"That might have been a little extreme Commander." Said Kaidan timorously.

"For that lieutenant you can drag Dr. Manuel inside and sedate him yourself, it was only a matter of time before he did something crazy."

"I suppose you're right," conceded Warren. "Thank you again Commander."

Nihlus Kryik raced from cover to cover, down the hills to reach platform one of the spaceport. He leveled his HMW Mk. VI assault rifle, on guard to combat anymore Geth platforms or those bizarre abominations he had run into before. Clattering up the steps he heard footsteps as he pressed his back to a large shipping container, someone was here!

Spinning round from cover he aimed at…

"Saren?" He said incredulously, it was indeed his mentor, the imposing grey armour, the ornamental head scarf, black with silver glyphs, eyes of the hardest, electric blue, a sleek, black with a red stripe HMW Mk. X hand cannon at his waist. He had turned leisurely to face his student, who had long become his own man, _"such a pity."_

"Nihlus." He answered calmly, strolling towards him as if he was in the peaceful, Presidium park, not a fiery battleground. Saren's protégé struggled for words:

"This isn't your mission Saren, what are you doing here?" Arterius placed a supportive talon on his shoulder as he passed, Nihlus lowered his assault rifle completely at the comforting presence of his old friend, he just hoped that Shepard would not disagree with the veteran Spectre's involvement.

"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Reassured Saren, outwardly scanning the terrain for threats, Nihlus turned southward to check as well, following his teacher's lead.

"I didn't expect the Geth here, the situation is bad."

"Don't worry," spoke Arterius softly, drawing the pistol which had killed so many, including Shu Qian and Edan Had'dah. "I've got it under control." He circled around and pointed his gun straight at the base of Nihlus's head, waited two seconds – then squeezed the trigger slowly.

Just over a mile away, Samus heard the echoing crack of a gunshot thundering through the trees.

"_He's in trouble." _

"Pick up the pace!" She ordered into her mic, the team went from a steady jog in full armour, to a proper loping run.

"Arrgghh!" Screamed Nihlus as the round, fired from within a metre, was partially absorbed by the hard shield tech gifted to him by Shepard, the grain splintered into shards too small to mortally wound, but as they reflected off the round collar of his phantom armour they shredded the hide on the back of his neck and scratched his skull; causing him to stagger forward, stupefied at the unforeseeable treachery.

Bleeding profusely, the younger Spectre struck out backwards with his rifle butt, Arterius intercepted the weapon and cracked Nihlus under the jaw with his handgun, pinned his former apprentice's arm with his own rifle and bent the axis around. Kryik's elbow shattered as the stress on the pivot became too much. Whipping the rifle from his hand, the stock crashed into the rim of his skull, causing his teeth to rattle and shake loose from their gums.

In two smooth motions, Saren tossed the rifle into a fire burning nearby, yanked Nihlus's mashed limb towards him and stamped into the side of his knee. Rupturing the knee cap and disjointing the backwards facing, marsupial-like leg.

Nihlus was in too much shock to register his bodily suffering, his one thought was: _"Shepard, have to warn – Shepard_." He grasped desperately with his good arm for his comlink built-in to his lapel as he fell on his back. Saren saw what he was attempting to do and grabbed hold of his throat with his three fingered talons, dragging, then lifting him upwards until his feet were hanging off the ground. Flexing the incredibly powerful forearm, Saren crushed Nihlus's voice box and oesophagus, then proceeded to rip it clean out with a spray of navy blood; drenching his skull-like face.

Collapsing with a strangled, muted cry, Nihlus felt his shotgun torn from its magnetic strip and cast similarly into the fire, then an arm wrapped itself around his blue stained neck and hoisted him into a partial standing position. Saren stood behind him and pressed his pistol into Nihlus's cranium.

"Face, me – betrayer," burbled Kryik in desolation, he could hardly speak through the bloody effervescence bubbling from his mouth.

"I knew you wouldn't understand what I have to do here Nihlus," Saren stroked the man's face almost lovingly, subsequently jamming the nose of the gun back again. "Our brothers must be avenged and soon, _I will have the tool to do it_, goodbye, _old friend._" The HMW produced no sound except for a muffled 'SPLATCH!'

The point-blank range shot removed the back of Nihlus's head in an explosion of gore. Saren lowered the body tenderly backwards onto the metallic surface, almost cradling his old friend in his arms.

He rose up, surveyed the vessel that had contained the spirit of his greatest student for the briefest of moments; then walked away.

Samus Aran reached the top of a great ridge and stared down at the spaceport below, it was swarming with Geth and Husks, the far greater threat though, was the mother ship. It was coming in to land around ten miles away and the cargo train was beginning to leave the platform. They didn't have much time.

The team threw caution to the winds as they assaulted the spaceport, flanking the Geth aggressively, Aran deployed every weapon at her disposal to fry, compress, bludgeon, shoot and cut their enemies into oblivion. All the while, the squid-shaped ship descended, crackling with red shifting mass effect fields and screeching a cry of the damned. At first Samus believed it to be a scrambling signal, trying to counteract her meddling with the Geth's neural network; however, as they all sprinted and fought across the war-scarred plain, the howling became more painful to the cerebral cortex rather than electronic radar.

Summoning all her will, Aran projected her psionic defences onto her troops, the signal intensified, trying to bore its way into Samus's pre-frontal lobes. Allowing the reflex of battle to take over, the huntress began to summon the nano-crystular stasis field, the torturous signal wavered, then vanished as the interior protection fluctuated into life. She could not be sure, but Aran could have sworn she heard a babbling clutter of tinny, alien murmuring in the recesses of her mind, it almost sounded like a roar of unidentifiable frustration.

She answered it with weapons fire, reaching the port, Aran shot a hydrogen canister with an incendiary round from her U-44 Volkov, taking three Geth out of the equation in the fiery deflagration. That was all of them.

"Commander! Its Nihlus!" Barked Kaidan, Samus pushed past him to see one of her staunchest allies lying on his back, in a huge puddle of his own blood, beyond hope. Kneeling beside him she heard Ashley step up and ask:

"A Turian? You know him?" Samus nodded solemnly, sweeping a hand over the area, recording the crime scene with her omni tool, the second train was nearly gone. Nihlus was missing his own omni tool and comlink, his murderer must have taken them.

Slowly, the hunter brushed Nihlus's eyelids closed; then, realising that his body would be transformed by the Geth if they got a hold of it, she hoisted him off the ground, carried him respectfully in her arms and dumped him in the fires burning nearby. Breaking a pressurised container of hydrogen fuel, she threw that in too, the intense heat of the flames reduced the Spectre and his equipment to ashes.

"Is that how you treat your friends?" Said Ashley in righteous anger and disbelief. Samus recalled how Nihlus had been generally hated by his company and superiors in the armed forces, practically cast out for his individuality. They would not have accepted his body for burial among their standard, as was Turian custom.

"He wouldn't mind." She averred.

Taking a fire extinguisher, she doused the flames and froze Nihlus's vestiges into a simple orb of omni gel for his return to the Council and locked it in her field-kit.

"Something's moving! Over behind those crates!" Ashley drew her pistol first but Samus was already aiming steadily at the disturbance once Williams had uttered the first syllable.

"Please! Don't shoot me! I'm Human!" Cried a bearded dock worker frantically, coming out with his arms raised above his head.

"Sneaking around like that nearly got you killed, what are you doing back there?" Samus did not look best pleased at the moment, her anger burning through her helmet to scorch the man, the full force would have probably caused him to wet himself.

"I'm sorry, I was hiding, I saw what happened to that Turian. The _other one_ killed him." Aran felt her premonition inducing chill.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She questioned, brusquely ordering an elaboration.

"There were_ two_ Turians, your friend, and one he called Saren. I think they knew each other."

"_Shallah," _Cursed Samus inwardly in Chozodian. She had heard a lot about Arterius from a close source, she couldn't imagine a more dangerous foe.

"Your friend seemed to relax, he let his guard down. And Saren..._killed him_. Shot him right in the back, and –"

"Where is he." The huntress seemed emotionless and inflectionless as she commanded the man before her.

"He took the cargo train down –"

"We need to find that beacon before its too late! Move out!" Roared Samus to her men and woman.

Powering past shipping containers, Samus slid over a tall crate and reached two small sports rovers, each with four seats. The jeeps were sturdy military versions, capable of reaching speeds of 200mph.

"Singh, Andrews, with me! Alenko, Williams, Craig, Fredericks, pile in to the other one! We've got a train to catch!"

Hot wiring the vehicles, Samus and Kaidan sped over the landscape, following the tracks. The red glow over the horizon signifying that the mother ship had landed, a shock wave of dust obscured their vision temporarily. Once they emerged they could see the train, moving about half their pace.

"Jimmy! Take the wheel!" Lodging herself against the bar rack of the rover's open roof, Samus primed her under barrel grenade launcher, took aim, and blew out an entire carriage with a perfect shot through one of the windows. Fredericks did likewise on another carriage further up. Aran then severed three carriages from the rear as the Geth returned the favour with rockets, at 90 miles an hour of velocity; the tail-end overturned and de-railed in a crashing cataclysm of twisted metal.

"Bring us up alongside, on my order Williams and Alenko, we'll jump onto the train, there's too many of us to co-ordinate in such close quarters, Fredericks, you're in command in my absence. Take the rovers to the north side of the second platform and meet us in the middle, we'll find the beacon there."

The three of them put away their firearms and braced themselves on the left hand side of the rovers; if they missed it would mean death.

"One. Two. Three!" Samus hurled herself towards a gap between the carriages, as she had calculated she came into contact with the carriage coming along behind, grappled on surely and magnetized her boots to the roof as she climbed up. Kaidan managed to land right on target of an open platform and nearly tumbled off as he seized a pipe for balance. Ashley swung straight through a window feet first and began to take names.

* * *

><p>Saren Arterius trembled in anticipation as the first convey stopped at the second platform, the beacon was here, the Geth had secured every civilian and dead soldier from the surrounding countryside and placed them on the artifacts. The Husks and <em>other factors<em> would cover their escape. That and the heavy infantry on the second train. Now was the time…

He marched up to his contingent of Geth shock troopers and consulted them on the placement of the charges.

"Destroy the entire colony, leave _no evidence_ that we were here." Marching past he looked at the great leviathan that had landed in a field in front of the spaceport, trampling the farmland into seared, lava-cracked, barren wasteland. He bowed to the dreadnought in reverence, which shone with undulating red light; extensive biotic implants in Saren's skull and eyes lit up in triumph. His corneas now a neon blue, they would allow him to filter the Prothean message over time, without Sovereign sifting and managing the alien images, it was quite likely even he would be driven insane. The thought of having closer proximity to the ancient mind terrified him, but it was necessary.

Facing the Prothean beacon, he spread his arms and was lifted aloft by its mass effect field excluder, a beam of green light shot into his eyes from the monolith and then…he began to see things.

* * *

><p>Ashley blew a Geth trooper clean off the train with her shotgun, while Kaidan shoved several through windows with biotic shoves. Samus wrestled with a destroyer on the roof, a biotically assisted warp uppercut split open its head, then she drove her omni tool into its circuitry and overloaded it.<p>

The behemoth tumbled off the roof, Samus jumped to the next carriage, battling the air resistance, then smashed through a skylight and went to work on the Geth with her biotic blades.

"Good girl!" Samus shouted her approval as Ashley took two down with marine hand-to-hand, then was spun round by her Commander to deliver a sweep kick to a Geth Assassin's head sneaking up on them with optic camouflage. Samus gutted three more with her biotic blades, then caught a Geth trooper Ashley had thrown her way, slapped a grenade on its back and tossed the walking payload into the next carriage.

The resulting explosion took out the last remnants of the Geth, only for a Geth Prime, an anti-tank platform to bring a Gatling gun to bear at the front of the train.

"Ladies! Duck!" Bellowed Kaidan, they did and the Lieutenant hit the five hundred pound mech with a spiked biotic throw of such force that the front carriage was overturned.

"Nice one LT! Now lets get out of here!" The train was going to crash, so Samus hurled her friends out in biotic bubbles, then leapt herself. Decelerating their jump to roll gently on the grass as the train blew up in a grinding mess of machinery.

A Geth shock trooper configured the three minute timer on the atomic ordinance as their god took to the sky, devastating the roiling green hills, it never felt the sniper grain that severed its spinal tubing from over a kilometre away. Sprinting tirelessly, Samus, Kaidan and Ashley reached the southern side of the spaceport, under heavy fire from entrenched shock troops and snipers. Aran took down many but they were still pinned on the lower levels.

"Fredericks. Shepard here, take the heat off and I might recommend you for a medal, soldier."

"Gladly, ma'am. Get ready to run."

And so the final battle for Eden Prime began, seven soldiers against overwhelming odds. They all did their part, Kaidan and Samus combined biotic techniques to great effect on crowd control, locking down sharp-shooters and closely-knit groups, allowing Jamie and Wahib to riddle them with bullets. Ashley and Russell blew contingents away with well-placed grenades and heavy fire. Fredericks held back to ensure shield integrity was synched for everyone and to provide tech support in the form of proximity mines, sabotage and overload pulses, and sniping.

Since he was the Normandy's official demolition expert, he also managed to disarm two of the charges on the north side, while the Commander disabled the other two in under five seconds apiece.

Everyone was covered, everyone had each others back. The medi gel wasn't even needed as the N7 squad leader bolstered their shields with her biotic barriers, relying on fortification bursts when her own shields became depleted. They toppled the Geth soldiers off walkways or broke them into cans. Either way, the day was there's.

"Commander," informed Josh, "we're going to check the lower docking bays for the beacon."

"Roger that Fredericks, we'll be on the upper platforms, assemble for extraction there."

"Affirmative, over and out."

Carefully, Samus, Ashley and Kaidan descended the staircase of the top platform and walked straight into hell. Husks, around fifty, comprised of Ashley's compatriots from the 212 and 213 and acquaintances she had known from the colony's farms had been transformed into mindless fiends.

Aran detonated a thrown disc grenade in the middle of the group and began to devastate the rest with her rifle and its 'Lancer' chain blade, a highly unethical piece of kit that was far more effective than a usual bayonet. Deploying from the under housing, she hacked them to death while Kaidan smashed the Husks together with his biotics. Ashley fell back, unwilling to kill the more recognisable zombies, she couldn't bear to shoot one that seemed so human. The one in question dug its claws into Ashley's leg and dragged her down, Samus bashed it off her and helped her to her feet. Firing on full-auto with her left hand, she minced another half dozen.

They had killed just over half when one in partially melted Aldrin armour bit into Kaidan's shoulder, the disintegrated face of his old friend hissed at him as it lapped up his blood greedily and infected him with Nanites. It was Jenkins.

"Mother Fuck!" Screamed Kaidan in terror, as his drinking buddy carved gouges in his helmet then punctured his ablative breastplate and the flesh beneath, ripping at him like a wild animal. The Husk form of Richard had its left arm disunited from its shoulder with a sweep of Aran's G-922 Lancer, Kaidan struck out with his foot and managed to kick 'Jenkins' off him, surged on by pain and fear.

Aran was brutal, caving in skulls, tearing off limbs, imploding them with warps, some of the smaller Husks which had been children earlier that day tried to jump on her back – she cut them in half with her gun-mounted chainsaw.

Williams managed to separate the group by drawing them off at range, perforating them with slugs, Alenko knocked ten off the hundred foot tall platform, where they broke asunder on the thick tree branches below. Shepard was brought down by the weight of the last thirteen, on her back she was just as effective a street fighter, sweeping and cutting off legs, breaking necks with calf holds and axe kicks. For the last two she brought the back of her helmeted head crashing up into the underside of its chin as she rose, then whacked it away with an elbow strike, sending it sliding along the dock floor. The other she bisected from forehead to pelvis with the Lancer in a shower of oily offal.

Folding up her rifle, Samus unclipped her Sokolov, as the thing who had been a man and her friend that very morning scrambled to its feet and charged at her with reckless abandon.

"Commander, don't!" Cried Alenko as 'Jenkins' closed the gap, swinging his bladed arm to decapitate, shrieking the wheezing death rattle of a revolting larval atrocity that didn't belong in any realm of existence. Samus elevated the barrel to head height, time seemed to slow down as she instinctively lined up the sights and forgave herself for what she had to do, he was beyond salvation. Beyond hope.

The cloud of accelerator AP rounds burst forth from the chamber at a fraction of light speed. Dispersing the head and upper body into a pulpy puree of vileness.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Kaidan, falling to his knees in anguish, coupled with the weight of his wounds.

A shadow passed across Aran's eyes, lamenting the necessity of the action. But while she experienced mild regret, Kaidan was sobbing in misery, which rapidly turned into rasping coughs as the Nanites took over his lungs. Holstering her weapon, Samus rushed to him and scanned his organs, then injected him with medi gel to stabilise his convulsions. Kaidan passed out.

"Is he going to die Commander?" Said Ashley in a small voice.

Samus placed a hand over his heart and projected the smallest reave field into him, burning the Nanites into non-existence, Kaidan took several choking breaths as he regained consciousness.

"No." Replied Aran kindly to the younger woman, renewing her hope for life. Alenko shook himself unsteadily, then accepted Samus's hand.

"I'm sorry Commander, my emotions nearly got us all killed."

"Take it easy LT, its perfectly natural. I know you and Richard were good friends."

"I – I've never lost a friend in combat, I could deal with that, but _this_…"

"Sssshhhh…Its okay, its okay."

"Look at me, breaking up like this, come on. Lets get that beacon onto the Normandy now."

Samus knew that activity of any kind would distract him from his fresh loss, so she didn't hassle him over the matter. Radioing Fredericks and his Beta team she told them the beacon had been found, then secured the area for the SR-1. The three noticed the impact crater the dreadnought had left behind, the power needed to generate a mass effect field strong enough to work in a heavy atmosphere was enormous; the Element Zero core of the ship must have been gargantuan. The destruction caused bore testament to that.

"It looks like they dropped a bomb on the colony." Ashley voiced disconsolately.

The former bounty hunter took several scans and pictures of the Prothean beacon, then stepped back to get better readings. Finished, she keyed in Joker:

"Normandy, beacon is secure. Requesting immediate evac, coordinates are 19-43-54.526 North 155-03-26.463 West –"

Kaidan inched closer to the artifact, which was projecting a green beam of light into the scarlet sky and thrumming with energy.

"This is amazing, actual, working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!" The inner science geek in him coming to the forefront. It had cost many lives, but it was theirs!

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." Ashley enlightened, turning away to speak to the Commander.

"Something must have activated it…" Wondered the Lieutenant aloud.

That was when it happened, the culmination of nearly ten years of searching. Aran never knew she would be one of two people in the Galaxy to hear this message from a long dead civilization. One would use it for destruction, the other for guardianship. The field excluder burst into life, drawing on its final reserves of energy to imprint one more sentient being before its power failed. Kaidan just couldn't get a break, as the structure towed him closer on invisible strings. Samus jumped through the air and ploughed into him, endeavouring to pull her officer free from the strange field that wanted to do god knows what to him. For anyone else, the task would have been futile, as it was, the Chozo-Human warrior heaved Alenko around by his waist and threw the 150lbs man clear with a strength few, _if any_ man, could match. The relic increased its power output, now dragging Samus in, she struggled, nearly breaking free but then it was like trying to stop the process of falling by force alone. Gravity could be circumvented but not beaten with muscle strain, no matter how powerful.

Borne aloft like one crucified, Samus felt a beam of alien recollections try to blast their way into her psyche, her first reaction was to put up her psionic defences, isolating herself in her memory palace of unyielding stone. The signal intensified, cracking the marbled fortress of her mind, she erected more walls, falling back on meditation techniques that had saved her before. The signal weakened, then blasted through her defences as it expended every drop of power left.

_Flashes. Death. Destruction. Invasion. Abduction. Revelation. Orange tinged images from Prothean eyes, one man holding up his arms as his home world was obliterated in fire. A couple clutching each other in their final moments. Experimentation on sentient beings. Insect screams as cybernetics wormed their way through wriggling flesh. The Ancient Machines darkening the skies of every world. They are coming…they are coming…they are coming._

The Nano-crystular stasis-field cut through the horrendous visions and cuddled Aran's perception in motherly arms of protectiveness. The beacon overloaded in a flash of viridian light as the systems detonated from boiled, overworked components with a terrific crack. Samus was thrown across the landing bay by the explosion to crash heavily onto her back. Her brain shut her primary motor functions down, causing her to sleep; holding back the tidal wave of ancestral forewarning that battered at the gates of her awareness, begging to be let in.


	13. The World's Most Fetid Cuisine

**A/N: An arduous chapter to write, but it is done! The delay was due to me losing a few thousand words when my laptop decided to bite the dust due to a crippling virus. Renewing Bit-defender for a half minute was all it took. :( Anyway I'll just have to reinstall Windows and get back to it! Enjoy my longest chapter yet everyone! **

_"There, did you think to kill me? There's no flesh or blood under this cloak to kill. Only an idea, and ideas are bulletproof, farewell."_

_(Codename: V)_**  
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**The World's Most Fetid Cuisine**

Aboard the dread ship Sovereign, Saren Arterius sat in the gloom, on a curved, elegant chair, purpose-made for the Turian body shape. His right hand fingers and thumb massaging his temples: The visions were proof; proof that serving his Master was the only recourse in saving the Galaxy from the incursion to come. The biotic implants helped somewhat to alleviate the mind-numbing pain, he shuddered to think what would have happened if he had been exposed to the beacon without them.

His Geth armies were retreating to set up staging grounds in the Armstrong Nebula, other units were spreading out to find more clues to complete the Prothean SOS: Everything depended on it. Everything.

From the shadows emerged a majestic Asari, her dappled skin of azure complete with indigo freckles, reflected her extreme age, the complexion meant that she was bordering a thousand years old. And had the wisdom to back it up, her overt dress consisted of the stately leather robes of a Matriarch, moulded to fit her curvaceous body; complete with a pronged, branching head-dress which was made from similar rawhide.

Clearing her throat loftily, she began to speak in an exacting, halting tone, it sounded as if her words were not her own.

"We identified the ship which touched down. The Normandy. A Human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

Saren was pleased, that fool would make the Council even less willing to listen to whatever drivel the Humans would spout on his name. He was a patriot and they were upstarts, the longer he could retain his Spectre status; the greater the damage he could enact in the Verge.

"And the beacon?" He responded, with just the faintest threatening hint of incurring his wrath.

"One of the Humans may have used it." Pulsating crimson energy radiated within the innards of Sovereign, coupled with the image of the Human in question, straight into the Spectre's mind. _Aran Shepard._ _A worthy foe. _He distinguished. Rage and terror overtook his Lord at Saren's recognition of the threat the woman posed. She had the capabilities to ruin everything, to trap his brethren in the void for all eternity. His Master's ire crossed the mental link of indoctrination, causing Saren's freewill and usually imperturbable manner to dissolve into a red mist of frenzied passion.

With a berserk roar he launched up from his seat, the puppeteer's strings forcing him to reel around the chamber, smashing his possessions, upending furniture, carving scrapes into the walls. Not content with dismantling inanimate objects he advanced on his executor, who stood still as a statue, seemingly unaffected by Saren's explosive fit of violence.

Hands that had claimed the lives of thousands clasped her around the cheeks roughly, he let out a bestial snarl as he fixed his eyes on hers, rumbling deeply in his chest, Saren began to calm with soft exhaling growls as his mind returned to him.

Painstakingly, he removed his cupped talons, the Asari was not angered or upset at the assault, she merely gazed at him with something akin to _hunger_…Saren straightened his posture, self-conscious of his lapse of control.

"This, _Human_. Must be. _Eliminated_." He stressed darkly, as a biotic, Aran had a good chance of surviving the mental imprint unscathed. He had to ensure her evidence would be discredited and to halt the analysis that she would inevitably trace back to him. Nihlus had believed in her, she was dangerous, of that – he was certain.

* * *

><p>"<em>Unearthed the heart of evil… Awakened the beast!" <em>The cries of the doomed permeated Aran's dream, coupled with the flickering, orange-tinted representations of the Prothean extinction at the hands of primordial menaces from times of yore. Code, archaic hieroglyphics, indecipherable symbols flashed back and forth before her eyes; what did it all mean?

Trapped as she was in her REM, self-induced coma; Samus realised that her sophisticated mental exercises were paying off momentously. Her brain was trying its utmost to process the extraterrestrial message without burdening her synapses to the point of a fatal bleeding stroke.

From out of the fathomless depths of her blackout, Samus Aran stirred uneasily, her eyelids fluttered open. Lying on her back she felt the cool metal through her rubber underlay suit, someone had removed the heavy outer plating. She started to rise from what she realized to be the Normandy's medical gurney in the sickbay; vision still murky and blurred, head pounding as if she had gone three rounds with Kraid out of armour.

"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas! I think she's waking up!" Sounded the familiar voice of Kaidan Alenko, the loud pitch inflaming her migraine further. Swiveling away from the Lieutenant she sat on the side of the bed facing the wall, just as the reliable doc circled round and stood in front of her patient, smiling matronly.

"You had us worried there Shepard, how are you feeling?" Ventured Chakwas gently, Aran focally arranged her thoughts and memories of the last few hours she could automatically recollect. The headache cooled gradually, so she assured her reticently:

"Minor throbbing." Her train of thought reassembled in a flash. _"Nihlus dead, Jenkins dead, re-animated, destroyed, others safe, Geth repulsed, colony saved, peculiar ship, explore connection with eldritch tales and Nihlus's readings, beacon…" _

Aran's eyes snapped open, all mental exhaustion forgotten.

"How long was I out?" She quested, demanding an explanation of the events she had missed.

"About fifteen hours. There was some kind of incident with the beacon down there." Chakwas told her, Kaidan gladly took over.

"It's my fault, the beacon activated some kind of security field, you had to push me out of the way." No, that was not it. Deliberated Samus, no anti-intrusion device _gave_ _out_ information, information! Saren had also absorbed the message, who was to say the Protheans had not been psychic? That would explain the breadth of their Empire with such an efficient method of communication, the only setback, was how to decipher the message embossed on her consciousness.

"Where's the beacon now? What happened to it?" She demanded of Alenko wearily, the visions were flaring up again, her fault for struggling against what would have been a passive signal upon a radically different, Prothean brain. _"Human incompatibility?" _She mused.

"The beacon exploded," related Kaidan heavily, "system overload maybe, we had to drag you back to the ship." He now stood alongside the doctor, looking apprehensive, as if the Commander was about to start speaking in tongues.

"I appreciate it." Samus acknowledged gratefully, Alenko gave a curt nod and an involuntary twitch of his left facial muscles like a guilty teenager caught in a warm, afternoon reverie; the huntress groaned inwardly, _"here comes the first stage, he's enamoured, better let the kid down easily later. Now is definitely not the time."_

"Physically you're fine." Persisted Chakwas with her diagnosis. "However, I did catch some unusual readings, abnormal beta-waves."

Samus considered the wisdom of telling Chakwas and Alenko of her apparition, then decided to relent some of her mystique. From the looks of the purpling bags under his eyes, Kaidan had spent an all-night vigil at her side, not only because of his feelings of self-blame for her predicament, but also because of his doctorate in medicine. Both he and Chakwas could be trusted; they were under Hippocratic Oath after all.

"Signs typically associated with intense dreaming." Concluded Chakwas from a distance, Samus averted her gaze as she stood and leant against the bed-rail at the foot of the bed, staring pensively at her feet.

"I saw, I'm not sure what I saw. A catastrophe unlike anything that I could have possibly imagined, ships, like the one we saw on Eden Prime, casting their shadows over all of creation…And it's not the first time they've done so."

She shook her head in bafflement, the events to come would shake the Galaxy to its core, the moment had arrived. Alenko and Chakwas were ogling at her with renewed anxiety, it sounded as if the Commander had cracked.

The two of them were beginning to grasp that this was something well beyond their realms of expertise, then, right on cue, the knowledgeable Captain of the Normandy himself entered the sickbay to check on Shepard again.

"How's our XO holding up Doctor?" He asked, noticing that Aran had barely looked at him, an expression of pure focus engraved in place of her usually schooled, non-partisan features.

"All the readings appear normal, I'd say the Commander's going to be fine."

"Glad to hear it, Shepard I need to talk to you, in private." He gave apologetic glances at the other two and ushered them out. Turning back, he saw that Shepard had pulled back a screen as she changed out of her partial armour and into her combat fatigues.

Anderson sat in one of the bedside seats and tried not to peek.

"Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard Commander, you sure you're alright?" Silence for three seconds, then in a stiff voice.

"I don't like soldiers dying under my command." Anderson nodded understandingly.

"Jenkins and Nihlus, I know. They weren't your fault, you did a good job Shepard."

"_Humph_." Samus finished dressing by buckling her belt and stepped out to pose a question to the Captain.

"Did we leave Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams back on Eden Prime?"

"I thought we could use a woman of her talents, so I included her in the crew." Aran responded with an approving note:

"Williams is a good soldier, she deserves it."

"Lieutenant Alenko agrees with you, that's why I added her to the ship's regs."

"Did you say you needed to see me sir?"

"Oh no, uh, not yet. Get yourself tided up and compile the shore party's reports, meet me at one hundred hours in my office, we need to discuss all the happenings before we reach the Citadel."

"The Ambassador isn't pleased is he?"

"That's an understatement Commander." Anderson left to deal with the fallout from the brass, Samus took a shower, as was her way after any big battle, in the med-bay's individual cubicles and clothed herself In fresh fatigues. Ravenous, she headed for the mess hall, after spending nearly twenty four hours without food or water – she could eat an adult Sheegoth.

A good deal of the crew and the ground team were all waiting at the canteen's table and congratulated her on her quick recovery. Samus tucked in to second helpings with a modicum of restraint, it appeared disrespectful to those who could no longer enjoy a meal, or indeed any aspect of life anymore.

"To Richard." She toasted, her shipmates intoned together:

"To Richard." Many asked her to recount the beacon's message but Samus frightened them away, joking that it would give them nightmares.

"Commander, I'm glad to see you're okay," Kaidan finally managed to say with zeal after her well-wishers had shrunk down and got back to their duties. "Losing Jenkins was hard enough on everyone, I'm glad we didn't lose you too."

"Yeah, I wish there was something I could have done to save him." Samus winced at the recollection, if she had moved up instead…

"I was there, you did everything right, it was just – bad luck." Alenko consoled her. "Hell of a way to finish our shakedown cruise. First mission ends with one Spectre killing another. The Council is not going to be happy about that, probably use it to level more concessions out of the Alliance."

Samus was moderately bemused with his familiarity with Galactic politics; it almost seemed as if he was trying a bit too hard to make an impact on his Commanding Officer. But she would let it slide, for now.

"Sounds like you've got a good grasp of the situation. You a career man?"

"Yeah most biotics are, we're unrestricted but we certainly don't go undocumented. Besides my father served. Made him proud when I enlisted, eventually. Is that why you're here? Because of your family?"

The former bounty hunter steered the conversation away from Mindoir with a small white lie. The 'I'm in it for the action' routine.

"Couldn't keep me out if you tried. Best way to explore the Galaxy is behind a cannon!" She said boldly, causing Alenko to laugh at his Commander's audacity when it came to violence, he hoped one day to be as unruffled when it came to extreme survival situations.

"Is that how you got here? I heard about the Blitz, bet you had your pick of postings after that. Word is we're headed to the Citadel – can you – tell me why?" Aran decided then and there to brush him off politely, she had to get started on that report.

"Need to know basis Lieutenant, see you later."

"Commander." He said, saluting.

She was halfway to her office when she was waylaid by Williams.

"Commander, good to see you. The Crew could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins."

"He was a valuable part of this crew." She allowed, growing fractious at being the shoulder everyone wanted to cry on. No-one should be so casual around death, but it became so easy after awhile. Privately, Samus was thankful that so many were affected by the death of a friend. For her, it had become second nature.

"Part of me feels guilty, if he hadn't been KIA, I might not be here." Aran comforted her tactfully.

"You earned your place here Williams, the mission wouldn't have been successful without you."

"Thanks Commander, I've never had that kind of praise before, never met someone who was awarded the Star of Terra either."

"There's nothing special about me Williams, I just did what anyone should have done." Ashley looked at her in astonishment, eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hair line.

"Hold off an entire enemy battalion, _alone_? With respect ma'am, I think you had someone watching over you." Samus took the tribute in her stride, though she did find it amusing that Ashley was not that far off the mark in reality; for she would have been long dead without the Chozo and the Metroids aiding her from beyond the grave.

"Things were pretty rough down there," she began anew with some concern, remembering the 212's transformation into zombie 'Husks.' "You okay?"

"I've seen friends die before. Comes with being a marine but to see my _entire_ unit wiped out; and you _never _get used to seeing dead civilians." Samus shifted uncomfortably. "Still, things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up."

The huntress's inherent nihilism seeped into her voice, when death was a constant companion, it was difficult not to become jaded with life.

"Dead marines, dead colonists, and in the end we still didn't get that beacon." All of Nihlus's plans for Humanity's ascension to the Council had been scuppered by Saren, his Geth; and an ancient threat had returned, but what was it?

"You saved a lot of lives today Commander, I know that might be hard to put into perspective with what happened to Jenkins."

"Thanks Williams, I needed to hear that, I think you're going to fit in here just fine."

Ashley thanked Samus, the latter then enclosed herself in her office behind the sleeper pods and began to compile her report on the battle of Eden Prime. Including the details of Nihlus's death and his cremation, the specs of the alien tech used to create Husks, Saren being named as the culprit and the vision the beacon had emblazoned into her head.

Nearly finished, Samus opened the data file the deceased Turian Spectre had given her moments before his demise. It contained Intel on all trail aspects of the dreadnought, activating the sound file playback, there came the rattling, synth sound the ship's signal created upon atmospheric re-entry. The huntress sat, straining her sharp ears to find some recognisable pattern, remixing and playing the file back multiple times; a lingering feeling of trepidation towards what in all actuality, was one of the old machines.

At the appointed time she entered Anderson's office.

"I won't lie to you Shepard, things look bad. Nihlus is dead, Geth are invading, and the beacon was destroyed. The Council's going to want answers"

"The Geth would have wiped out the entire colony if I hadn't stopped them, are the brass trying to pin war crime culpability on us?" Stipulated Samus, shoving the six reports (not lightly) into the Captain's chest.

"I'll stand behind you and your report Shepard, you're a damn hero in my books. Let me deal with the Joint-Chiefs and Udina, we need to discuss Saren, that other Turian. I'm sure you know that he's a Spectre, a living legend, but if he's working with the Geth – it means he's gone rogue. A rouge Spectre's trouble, and he_ hates_ Humans.

Samus weathered Anderson's tirade, then interrupted.

"He didn't come to Eden Prime because he hates Humans, he –"

"You're right, Saren has allied himself with the Geth, he has the seekers from the beacon and he won't rest until he's wiped the Human race from the face of the Galaxy!"

"Captain, listen to me!" She thundered, Anderson shut up instantly.

"The beacon broadcasted a warning into my brain, an imperfect transmission from the final days of the Protheans…I saw machines slaughtering and butchering people, machines similar to the vessel none of us had seen until today."

Anderson's jaw hung open comically, before snapping shut.

"We need to report this to the Council Shepard." He said slowly and evenly.

"You know they're as clueless as we are regarding _functioning_ Prothean archives. There's nothing to tell, they'll never allow that kind of evidence."

"Whether it was either blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction or an apocalyptic distress call, one thing is for sure, Saren took it. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes Humanity is a blight on the Galaxy –"

"Be that as it may, Saren is searching for something much larger than what he gleaned off the beacon. I know I've got no substantial proof, but please Captain, leave the enquiry to me."

"Done, but we'll need the Council on our side." He warned.

"If we can prove he's gone rogue, they'll revoke his Spectre status." She concurred.

"I'll set up a meeting with the Ambassador, you've never been to the Citadel have you?"

"I've got several contacts there but no, I've never set foot there in person."

"Well that's where we're headed, get up top and tell Joker to bring us into dock."

Within seconds Samus had bounded up the stairwell and across the CIC, accompanied by Kaiden and Ashley, having just passed through the Serpent relay, they would come into view of the station very soon.

"Hey Commander," said Joker chirpily, "come to see that taxpayer money at work."

"I thought you didn't pay excises because of your condition." She said, brightening at the sight of the swaggering son-of-a-gun helmsman.

"Getting decent insurance is a nightmare I can tell you that." Samus nodded in mock agreement while Ashley looked fretful at the pilot's health problem.

"You sure you're safe driving that thing?" Samus turned away from Ashley's faux pas, anyone who knew Joker, _never_ take his illness seriously, he would not appreciate Ashley fussing over him.

"Uh, I don't fly with my feet Chief; as long as I'm sitting down I'm good, gets pretty hard when I have to take a _piss_ though." Ashley began to stammer an apology as Joker went on: "Yeah, one wrong step and 'CRACK!' It's very dramatic!" Kaiden saved Ashley from further humiliation at Jeff's hand as he cried,

"look!"

It was magnificent. The radiant particle storms raged across space and against the purple backdrop, crackling, ionic clouds drifted back to reveal the Citadel Station. The pictures Samus had seen of it didn't do it justice, five colossal arms stretched out for nearly half a hundred kilometres, arranged circularly in a pentagram formation and alight with a bustling metropolis coating the dark metal surfaces in a gold-veined glow. At the centre was the Presidium ring and the Citadel tower, the very heart of the beating Galaxy.

As they neared the station they were greeted by the Destiny Ascension, the flagship of the Asari fleet, which made up the second largest military presence in the area. Much like Asari architecture, the dreadnought was aesthetically curved and ostentatious, in comparison to the more traditional snub-nosed Turian cruisers, which were practical to a fault, having great length for increased kinetic power of their main guns and leaving smaller thrusters in their place, decreasing their manoeuvrability.

All this was secreted away in Samus's Codex journal: Statistics, historical sources, theories on the Prothean extinction, the technology and arms race between the different species, even biological information on said species, harkening back to her older files kept on sentient beings.

"Look at the size of that thing!" Said Ashley in awe.

"Well size isn't everything," quipped Joker sagely.

"Why so touchy Joker?" She countered.

"I'm just saying you need firepower too." He stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Citadel control, this is the SSV Normandy, requesting a vector and a birth." The pilot continued.

"Standby for clearance Normandy…" The official on the other end of the radio channel replied. "Permission granted, transferring you to an Alliance Operator."

Samus came over to stand beside Joker and watch their landing through the front viewing window; the two exchanged a fleeting look, one that psychically communicated:

"_Early shore leave!" _

"Make your way to dock 422." The Normandy zipped through space and closed in on a private docking bay on the inner ring, overlooking the Tayseri Ward arm. Magnetic clamps sealed the frigate in place and Joker commenced dumping the ships drive, which would take a few hours on the specialized electronic discharge port.

Instigating her duties as Commander, Samus got the crew together to distribute timetables of when they could board the station, accommodation in the Wards was a privilege granted to only a few of the Normandy's superior officers, so many would have to retreat to their cramped bunks at night. And considering it was 3:77 am, many were very tired from the day's events.

Anderson told her that the meeting with the Ambassador would convene tomorrow and the subsequent hearing with the Council the day after at the earliest. The media was raving about the attack, so it would be best to keep a low profile. Samus arranged to meet the ground team at the diplomat's lounge near the Human Embassy, on the Presidium grounds at 10:00 am.

Carrying an overnight rucksack, Samus navigated through the bustling commercial districts and the crowds of various aliens, it felt very much like home after spending an unusual amount of time with her own kind. Holographic billboards flashed advertisements, Hanar floated eerily along; everything was a mess of colour and culture. Eventually, Aran reached her high-rise apartment building – her suite was on the thirtieth floor. Taking the lift, she could see a busy air traffic lane speeding by, over sixty metres below.

The apartment was quite spacious, with a kitchen, bathroom, living, bedroom and exercise spaces all to themselves. Over a century of conditioning made the huntress check around the open-plan flat carefully. She checked and found a concealed niche to stash the modified Paralyzer pistol, took in the height of the domed ceiling and other possible hiding places, even the thickness and stopping power of the immaculate, white-painted plaster walls.

After determining whether certain spots would make good cover camps, Samus withdrew a miniscule, sticky cam and placed it in the upper corner of the living room, where even she couldn't see it. She would have to thank Delanynder for his gift of military grade surveillance devices after all of her patronage at his online shop.

She changed into civvies (vest and lingerie), then began to compile all the evidence of Saren's guilt for an entire hour at her computer terminal, working well into the night, with frustration she realized that much of the evidence would be barred because of conjecture. She could not use the Geth encryption protocols without revealing Adam's existence and she doubted he would have decoded all of the intel anyway. Powell's testimony and the crime scene had been recorded by her helmets on-board link with her omni tool. However, the fact remained that if Saren denied his involvement, all the forensic evidence in the Galaxy would not overturn his emancipation.

Trying a different tact, she accumulated the info on Saren's bias and anti-Human tendencies – to back-up an argument that he was in fact, insane. There was too many discrepancies between his service to Galactic peace and the sudden change of heart to attempting all-out, interstellar war.

With some care, Samus decided to leave out the dreadnought and the beacon, Saren was the prime target for now. She completed her evening regimen then proceeded to meditate for three hundred minutes. Awakening, the N7 soldier cooked herself a fine breakfast, pleased that the Alliance caterers had left her a full-stocked fridge. When you had lived on packaged, pre-prepared meals for a couple of years, you tended to appreciate and develop your culinary skills, _fast_.

After brushing her teeth and washing, she continued to get ready. Her garb consisted of pressed dress blues for her conference with Udina and Anderson, she had the military dress shirt, jacket, trousers, plain shoes done up spotlessly, she preferred smart-casual but it was best to make a good first impression. She did up her hair in a scraped back ponytail, reapplied some Mascara and put on a new, black great coat complete with a fingerless bracer glove on her right hand. Perfect for drawing the retrieved Paralyzer in her left shoulder holster.

There was still two hours before the meeting, leaving her apartment, Samus set off to explore the Wards and take in the sights.

Detective Garrus Vakarian was patrolling his beat along the main high street near the Dilinaga Concert Hall, a Turian officer with five years pulling cases on the Citadel, and five years in the military before that. He'd pretty much seen it all. His hide was a blend of warmer greyish green, indicating that despite his upbringing on Palaven, he had spent more time in space, and as a result his skin tone was not as dark as other Turians, or as pale as those born off world.

Garrus was fuming. Executor Pallin had told him to investigate Saren Arterius to placate the Humans, when they had implicated him in the attack on Eden Prime; but it was impossible, what with every file on the Turian being off the record.

On the left-hand side of the wide street, five shady youths, all Human, were lingering outside the hard deposit bank, Garrus's police sense went into overdrive, a robbery was about to take place but it looked like the kids might be having second ideas. Zooming in with his custom eye-piece he noticed one trying to mask an Armax Avalanche shotgun under his coat, scratch that, they were going to go ahead. Four walked into the building while the last remained next to the getaway car, an accomplice ready at the wheel. Six perps in total.

In a state of internal turmoil, Vakarian weighed up whether to charge in all guns blazing, or call for back-up. He decided against the former. After that incident with the multiple rapist who he had shot in the crotch, he couldn't afford anymore trouble with the Executor.

"C-Sec Command, Garrus here, we have a 211 in progress, requesting additional officers, suspects are armed and dangerous but appear unprofessional."

"Roger that Vakarian, don't engage, repeat, don't engage. We'd like a zero fatality man-date to be carried out on this one."

"What do you want me to do! Go into Frankie's restaurant and get myself a bun!" Spat Garrus into his visors earpiece.

"Just stay out of this one cowboy, we don't need a sheriff of the Citadel."

"Fine." He hissed in displeasure, hanging up. Abruptly he walked straight into the doughnut diner opposite and ordered a dextro pastry.

"Now we just sit back and wait for the cavalry to arrive." He muttered to his confection quietly before chewing down and swallowing with a constricted throat. The bureaucracy was getting to him, he had to admit it. He was beginning not to care, drowned as he was in a sea of red tape, he'd thought he could make a difference but he was becoming as pessimistic and dejected as old Harkin.

From across the road came the ringing alarm of the banks security system, Garrus bounded up, alert. _"Already? That didn't take them long at all!" _Out loud, with a mouth clogged full of sweet dough he choked out: "SHIT!" Tearing the six cylinder heat sink magnum off his belt he hared outside to see the first thug backing out of the door, Garrus stopped half-way down the road and leveled his handgun at him.

"HALT!" He bellowed, partially gulping down his unfinished doughnut. The young black man whipped around and fired his shotgun, just as Vakarian flexed his elbow to absorb the recoil of his own shot.

Unfortunately, (for the robber that is) – he didn't have kinetic barriers, Garrus did. The spread of grains were easily deflected from such a range, the seventy-five bore round fired from the detective's revolver however, blew a chunk of flesh and bone from the man's arm and brought him down, screaming as his blood painted the wall.

The other four ran out, joining their waiting friend, firing indiscriminately with their own pistols and scattering pedestrians. Garrus strafed to the left, knelt and pulled the trigger, steadying the big gun with both hands and utilizing his visor, he winged two more, one in the leg, the other in the ass, then caught the forth target in the stomach. The force of the round throwing him through a store window. The fifth dived into the air car upon realising he was outmatched, the driver gunning the vehicle towards the policeman, intent on running him down.

Garrus waited until the last second, then double-tapped the driver through the windshield, splattering his brains over the rear window and cracking the glass in a spider-web pattern. He then tucked and rolled sideways as the car careened into the corner of a building, buckling the metal shell of the car and breaking off chunks of permacrete while the pipes were dashed open, releasing a large spout of water.

Desperate, the surviving crook tumbled out of the car, slipping and sliding about, then racing down the concourse; Garrus sprinted after him for a few metres then stopped, reaching for his thermal clip auto-loader. The man had a stiletto and was within an arms reach of a bystander, a Human woman with blonde hair and a black trench coat, the yob tried to take hold of his _helpless victim_ and use her as a hostage.

It was the surprise of his life when his hand was batted away, his knife arm twisted and trapped against his side, she slammed him against the street wall, cutting off any leverage he had, then controlled him around and onto his stomach as easily as one might a docile puppy. A lazy palm-heel to his face rocked his skull, promptly, she slapped the blade from his nerveless fingers. It had all taken less than two seconds.

Vakarian skidded to a stop, mightily impressed with the effortlessness the woman had shown in countering the attack. The milling throng of people started to clap the heroism of the pair.

"All right nothing to see here people," crowed Garrus. "Police situation, everything's under contr–"

"Watch out!" The blonde kicked her captive in the face, and then caused a silver pistol to fly biotically from her inner pocket, straight into her gloved palm. The shot caught Garrus's would-be-killer on the hip, causing him to spiral away, screeching as his pelvis was shattered. The crowd whooped again at the action spectacle, and Garrus turned towards his rescuer with words of thanks: "We'd better get these guys cuffed," she said, beating him to the chase. "Except that guy in the car, he's kind of dead. That was some fancy shooting by the way."

Garrus was opening and closing his mouth mutely; in astonishment of the charisma that emanated from this woman. He handed her four sets of electro hand cuffs and let her go about restraining and administering first-aid to the criminals, so they didn't bleed to death.

Luckily, he noticed the first hooligan he had injured crawling for his shotgun, he settled on having some fun with this scumbag.

"Ah, ah," he warned once he'd got close, pulling back the hammer on his magnum with an audible 'click'. The man, who was beaded with sweat, and in evident agony, froze like a deer caught in the poacher's scope.

"Now I know what you're thinking," drawled Garrus. "Did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell you the truth, I've kind of forgotten myself in all this excitement." The curly haired man's eyes dilated in fear as he faced down the barrel of the charcoal shaded metal handgun. "But given that this is the .75 Seraphim, one of the most powerful handguns in the Galaxy and would blow your head _clean off_, the question you've got to ask yourself _is: Do I feel lucky? Well do you punk?" _

The man glanced towards the shotgun nervously, his fingers were mere millimeters from the stock, trembling like a leaf, he withdrew his hand and allowed Garrus to pick up the weapon by the barrel. As the detective walked away the hoodlum gathered his strength, cradling his mangled arm.

"Hey!" He shouted weakly. Garrus turned to look at him.

"I gotta know?"

Garrus smiled in a sinister way, strode back to him and pointed the high caliber Seraphim right at his head. The man uttered a soundless scream; the cry was stuck in his throat as he nearly defecated in his pantaloons. Vakarian squeezed the trigger.

Steam hissed from the chambers, signalling that all six sinks were at capacity. The punk kid let out a shuddering sigh of relief. Which turned to rage as Garrus chuckled at his expense, snapping the gun open and ejecting the six fizzing heat sinks; they melted on the metal street as he loaded a fresh clip and snapped the barrel up with a flourish of his hand.

"Son, of, a, _bitch_…" Moaned the criminal through gritted teeth as Garrus strode over to the Human who had helped make the arrests.

Police sirens broke the hubbub as C-Sec cruisers arrived and began to cordon off the area.

"You had to turn it into a 444 didn't you Vakarian?" Said Officer Chellick disapprovingly, who was taking the tall blonde woman's statement.

"They would have been long gone if I hadn't stepped in, along with half a million credits worth from one of the safe box deposits." Insisted Garrus.

"And what do you call this gratuitous violence?" Opposed Chellick.

"Self-defence." Said the woman calmly, knocking the two detectives off their stride, both were lost for words, until Garrus asked:

"What's your name ma'am?"

"Aran Shepard." The Turian's eyes widened.

"Special forces, I should have known with how you took those two apart." Samus harrumphed amusedly,

"You're not too bad yourself officer." She said while indicating the gangsters he'd popped caps in, not to mention the extensive property damage.

"I saw you in the news vids, the Commander of the Normandy right?"

"That's right."

"Garrus Vakarian," he inclined his head respectfully. "I'm in charge of the investigation into Saren." Samus's face brightened.

"Really, this day just keeps getting better and better. First I get to be involved in a good fight and now I meet the perfect man to pool notes on Saren Arterius."

Garrus almost blushed at Shepard's acclaiming of his detective skills, he was quite a good sleuth but in a case like this…

"I'm sorry to say but, I haven't been able to find anything solid on the slippery bastard." He growled as they walked away from the crime scene towards a transit station.

"You don't trust him?" Voiced Samus, surprised that a fellow Turian was so quick to see the famous Spectre, an icon of his kind, as guilty without corroborating evidence.

"Something about him rubs me the wrong way, but everything he touches is classified at the highest level."

"Then it would be more prudent to go after his associates, no-one's untouchable."

"Hmm, I'll have to see what I can dig up, shall we exchange contact details?"

"Sure, counting a cop among my friends is welcome indeed." As Garrus took her number and her, his, he couldn't help but notice how different Shepard was from other Human women. Her height was the first thing, he usually towered over Humans but she was on eye level, there was also a touch of Avian features in her piercing blue and green gaze and downy gold hair, not dissimilar in texture to soft woven feathers. But that was the only soft thing abut Shepard, every Turian had heard how she had beaten Nihlus Kryik in unarmed combat, defeated the pirate platoons of the Blitz and just yesterday saved Eden Prime from annihilation, her reputation as a warrior was legendary.

"I'll be in touch when I find anything, see you around Shepard."

"Likewise."

Vakarian stood, watching her head for the taxi depot, almost love struck. Then he shook it off, he was being silly he rationalized. He had to stay in the game, continue to chase down leads while Shepard did what she could. He only had until the hearing to gather evidence and from what Venari had hinted, he didn't have much time.

Taking a shuttle ride up to the Presidium, Samus praised serendipity that had allowed her to gain such a valuable ally in bringing Arterius to justice. She would make the best case she could possibly present to the Ambassador and the Council, but in her heart she was convinced that the investigation would only succeed through unofficial channels.

The grounds and park of the Presidium embassy grounds were beautiful indeed: fragrant cherry trees, well-tended grass and numerous other plant species from many different bio-spheres. A glittering lake was the stunning centrepiece, artificial sunlight and idyllic artificial Stratocumulus clouds glided above. Projected all the way around the torvus-type ring, there was no up or down on a space station.

Aran reached the diplomat's lounge transversely situated from the Human Embassy. Jamie, Wahib, Kaiden, Russell, Ashley and Josh were already there; all in navy camouflaged military fatigues.

"Come on Jim, just one shot!" Ribbed Williams gleefully.

"He's a teetotaler Ash, leave him alone." Protested Singh while Andrews looked distinctly uncomfortable with being pressed with alcohol so early in the morning; Samus was very fond of the modest, gentle young man. For he was a monster on the battlefield, he reminded her of the unassuming and kind Ian Malkovich.

"He's got to man up that's what he's got to do!" Said Ashley teasingly, waving a cup of intoxicant under his nose, "my sister drinks more than him and she's under the legal limit!"

Everyone laughed while Samus filched the glass from her, surprising everyone as she appeared from nowhere and poured a good deal of the liquor into a potted plant before downing the rest herself.

"That is enough Williams, trying to press drink onto a subordinate is not mature behaviour. I expect better than these childish antics." She said harshly, bringing the decanter down with a hard clack of glass against acrylic. The squad looked properly contrite at their Commander's reprimand, while Andrews gave a sorry smile for not standing up for himself in the first place.

She glowered at them all before unpredictably breaking the ice.

"Nah, I'm only kidding you guys! We've still got some time before Udina sends out a search party for us. Barkeep! Seven tonic waters!" A chorus of groans and complaints about being a hard-ass assailed her. "Nothing's too good for my squad!" She laughed as they received the non-alcoholic beverages.

"So Commander? What took you so long to get here?" Said Alenko, taking little nips of the unpleasant drink.

"Would you believe I got embroiled in stopping a bank robbery? One C-Sec agent took five of the perpetrators down alone; I stopped the sixth from fleeing the scene." Samus recounted the tale for a few minutes followed by paying for the sparkling water and heading up to the embassy reception desk with her squad.

"Good morning Commander," greeted the Asari receptionist after scanning a metal, holographic credential slip that Samus had clipped to her lapel that morning. Handing it back she directed them onwards. "The Human Ambassador's office is the first on the right, have a good day."

"Thank you miss." The huntress returned with a smile. All walking up the steps, they reached the office door and entered. And were immediately assaulted by one of the loudest voices they had ever heard come from a single individual.

"Are you telling me that the Council does not consider sentient AI on their front doorstep a worthy cause for deploying military action!" Raged Ambassador Donnel Udina, Humanity's representative was stark raving mad, spit flying from his lips as he let loose with a salvo of arguments and counter arguments at the three holographic projections of the Councillors.

Captain Anderson ushered them in delicately, while Udina continued to roar at the Council. Samus was shocked to say the least. She'd half-expected Udina to be an obsequious sycophant towards the Asari, Turian and Salarian triumvirate. But he was railing at them with a single-mindedness that the bounty hunter could not help but hold some value over.

The grey, balding, pockmarked Scottish man with his tasteless white suit looked distinctly less opulent than the Councillors, resplendent in robes of black and red, with white or gold trimming. Differences aside, his silly appearance was certainly not stopping him from giving any ground to the aliens.

"The Geth are a threat to pioneers only, Humanity must have done something to bring such violence upon them. Therefore it is the Alliance's duty, and there's alone to prevent further conflicts." Sparatus retorted irritably, folding his hands behind his back and baring his throat in a conceited manner. Samus tried to appreciate the park grounds from the open balcony and block out the meaningless bickering, others on the station would help her bring down Saren but not those three, they were mere politicians after all, she couldn't expect too much from them. Ashley on the other hand was staring in gross misconduct at the Ambassador's heavy-handed style. Watching in fascination as a vein started beating in Udina's temple, he was turning the colour of a sun dried tomato, his face screwed up until he resembled a man with wrinkles fifty years older.

He puffed himself up at Sparatus's comment on Human obligation to drive back the Geth, and then he spoke. More like, exploded.

"This. is. an. OUTRAGE!" The final bellowed word scaring birds from their roosts such was the clamour. Ash thought she saw the holo connection falter. In his secret sun-orbiting lair, the Illusive Man woke up in his double bed; he clutched his cranium, suffering from a pounding headache.

"The Council would step in if the Geth attacked a _Turian colony_!" Condemned Udina, fury laced with every syllable.

"The Turians do not found colonies on the boarders of the Terminus Systems, _Ambassador_." Reminded the Salarian Councillor impersonally.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." Included Tevos, always the voice of reason when others were at the heights of passion. With one of his avenues of attack cut off, Udina utilized the other, the far more damning criticism of the Council's lack of omission.

"What about Saren! You can't just _ignore_ a rogue Spectre, I _demand _action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the Council Ambassador." Spat the Turian, putting his foot down with a vengeance. Tevos intervened quickly to end the shouting match and terminated the call after she had had her say:

"We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before. Until tomorrow Ambassador." Seething, Udina turned to the eight others standing around his office.

"_They dared to cut off __**me**__?" _Udina's displeasure boiled over to scald those of his own kind as he remarked nastily:

"Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground team from Eden Prime, in case you had any questions." Anderson tried his hardest to remain cordial with a man he'd rather punch in the mouth, he had never approved of Anita Goyle's replacement. Samus came over to stand by Anderson, two against one.

"I've read the reports, I assume they're accurate?" Continued Udina, as if he doubted their veracity and, by extension, the competence of those who wrote them.

"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience." Interrupted Samus, further disliking the man as a person every second she remained in his presence.

"They were not happy about it, Saren is their top agent. They don't like it when he's _accused of treason_..." He said acidly, as if it was her fault that they were in this situation.

"He's a threat to every sentient being out there," rejoined Samus, "if they won't stop him, _I will_."

"Settle down Commander! You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres! Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done, instead, Nihlus wound up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"

Samus was about to retort ferociously when Anderson leapt to the rescue.

"That's Saren's fault! Not hers!"

"Then we'd better hope that C-Sec finds some evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this to keep _you_ out of the Spectres." He scowled at the N7 Operative, who shot daggers right back.

"Come with me Captain, I have to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, meet us in the tower at 9:00 am sharp. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in." Udina left with Anderson while the squad gathered around Samus, Ashley broke the silence.

"And that's why I hate politicians."

Surprising her, the squad took Samus back to the diplomat's lounge for a real drink. All of them were excited that the Council had agreed to hold a trial so quickly, Samus knew the truth. They wanted to get Saren's acquittal over and done with and put this embarrassing little incident behind them. But the truth would will-out. No-one, especially a Geth unit, could have killed Nihlus Kryik at close range; he would have had to be an exceptionally skilled opponent to get the drop on the wily Spectre. And he would have had a psychological advantage over the man, in this case the student / mentor split. Then there was Powell's fearful and honest relation of the murder, not to mention Saren's bigoted prejudice against Humans, it painted him as the Geth leader perfectly. Now, solid, tangible, visible proof had to be found.

"A credit for your thoughts Commander?" Said Russell cheekily, Samus was observing a Keeper from the lounge's veranda, one of the Citadel's four-legged bug caretakers, while at the same time writing up their species and activities in her journal. It was all in a looping, elegant Chozo calligraphy, impossible to read except by her. She flagged the section for review and closed her omni tool with a snap, staring at Craig until he shrunk into his seat, suddenly a child again.

"I'm getting a drink, a _strong_ one." She announced, getting up from her seat and leaving Fredericks, Singh and Craig at their table. Andrews had gone back to the Normandy while Ashley and Kaidan had decided to go shopping in the Bachjret Ward.

To the Guardian's disappointment, all they had were some 'spirits' even she couldn't stomach; she might as well have drunk ditch water in their place for all the buzz it would give her, where were the mutagenic radioactive isotopes when you needed them? While chatting with the bartender about places of interest, she could also overhear Fredericks boasting about visiting the renowned high-class courtesan Sha'ira, colloquially known as The Consort.

With a jolt Samus knew where to start. She had made a data request from Adam to identify any well connected Shadow Broker Operatives active on the Presidium but in the meantime, Sha'ira could prove to be a veritable fount of wisdom on Saren, she had many famous and powerful clients after all, was it not conceivable that Saren might be or had been one?

Walking back to the table she tapped Fredericks on the shoulder sharply, annoyed by having his imagined recollection of Sha'ira interrupted he spun around to tell the person who'd butted in to take a hike.

"What do you want –" His face was a priceless picture of mingled horror and shame at the emergence of Shepard, looking extremely stern at the manner of his salutation. "Oh Commander! I'm sorry I – I –"

"Relax Private this isn't an inspection." Fredericks looked relieved, a little _too_ relieved...

"Who's this Consort you're blathering about?" She said suddenly, the game was up. Fredericks tried his best to keep up his facade but his Commander had brought it all crashing down with her posed order.

"Well, she's an Asari...who – helps – people – and...stuff."

"You never went to see her, did you kid?" Wahib and Russell were trying to stifle giggles behind their hands while Josh flushed like a rose and stuttered.

"Uh, no I – I didn't. It, it costs half a y-years credits just to go in and see h-her."

"Could you at least tell me where to find her?" She said, stony-faced as ever, causing the other two men to erupt into full-blown tears of mirth and for poor Josh to redden further.

"Her place is across the lake, you can't miss it."

"Thanks kid, have _fun_. Try not to do anything too exciting." She said mischievously, sauntering away. Fredericks collapsed in his chair and muttered:

"I will, have fun that is."

After a bracing walk, Samus stopped outside The Consort's chambers, perceiving the busy bustle inside. Hopefully she could get a quick word with the woman herself, in the entrance hall was another Asari greeter.

_"They're born for this kind of role aren't they?"_ Mused Samus, noting the show-winning, guest-welcoming smile and partial kimono dress that drew looks to all the right places.

"Hello there, my name is Nelyna. I don't recognise you from today's client list. Do you have an appointment?"

"Can't I just go in?" Samus tried her own winning smile, it seemed to have some effect because Nelyna gave her a genuinely coy smile in return.

"Uhm, I'm afraid not. Yes you see there are many who require The Consort's services, but if you give me your name we'll make every effort to get back to you." The huntress had expected as much, hopefully her reputation would precede her and allow for some special treatment, though already she was considering contacting one of her financial connections, a Volus by the name of Barla Von for any information on Saren.

"Commander Aran Shepard, with the Alliance Navy."

"Excellent!" Said Nelyna cheerfully, inputting Samus's details and facial recognition into her data pad. "You should hear from us in...three or four months!"

"I think I'm done here." nodded Samus politely, preparing to leave after handing over a down payment that would make Fredericks green with envy.

"Oh, I do hope you can come back soon, we always look forward to receiving new clients." Samus was just putting her wallet away when Nelyna's earpiece bleeped. "Yes, Sha'ira?" She listened for a few seconds and the former bounty hunter's tuned senses presaged her to wait and listen for Nelyna's call from The Consort to end. "Of course, Mistress," she said eventually, turning to look at Samus. "Huh, it appears The Consort has taken notice of you, she's waiting for you in her private rooms."

"Why?" Shrugged Aran, the corners of her mouth twitching in enjoyment.

"Not sure, you'll have to ask her yourself." Nelyna winked at her brazenly as she offered to take her coat, Samus declined. She didn't intend to stay that long after all. The well lit chambers were filled with the Consort's acolytes _tending_ to businessmen, sports personalities and other celebrities alike. Most of the activity was conversation on plush leather couches; others were having massages in the spa area and others still were being led away to pleasure pods, purple capsules that she had heard were some of the finest places to make love in.

There was a mix of Asari and Human women acolytes and even some Salarian males for some odd reason - she didn't want to know. A short staircase allowed access to Sha'ira's quarters. Watchfully, Samus ascended and reached a set of doors which slid open automatically. The room had a sense of restrained splendour; plenty of noire furniture, ornamental light-fittings and a specialized pleasure pod off to one side, many green plants were also present, perfuming the room with their subtle scents.

A refined, turquoise and amethyst skinned Asari stood waiting, looking out of a viewing window of the Serpent nebula. Dressed in the height of fashion, in what seemed to be a kinky pink and cream Elizabethan, cyber-renaissance cut dress, with a jeweled ruff collar and an open back which Samus admired from behind. Her lustrous skin changing seamlessly from shades of sea blue highlighted purples and back again like a chameleon from whatever angle you viewed her.

She was without a doubt one of the most exquisite creatures Samus had ever laid eyes upon. And she had met (and slept with) some real beauties in her time. The Consort remained motionless as Samus alighted on the bottom step leading down into her room from the doorway. Still facing away, Sha'ira spoke in a tender, sensual manner, like a poet.

"That's close enough Commander, I've heard a great deal about you upon your arrival on our Citadel." The huntress almost went for her gun, worried that Saren had got word around to some of his allies on home turf, her trigger finger trembled imperceptibly but nothing more. Compassion was at the head of Sha'ira's motivations she reminded herself, the only power she had was information disclosed in private, which in hindsight was often more dangerous than a bullet, of all people, Samus knew this more than most and would kill to preserve her own secrets.

"I don't like people spying on me." She injected the mildest hint of threat into her voice.

"My apologies Commander," Sha'ira turned her graceful head slightly, revealing her side-profile. "My job makes me aware of when important people such as yourself disembark, many become clients." Now she turned to fully face her.

Her eyes were the colour of quicksilver, ever shifting mercury pools that exuded warmth and kindness but there was also distress in her noble features, around the mouth and cheeks, it looked like she'd been crying for several days, the skin there was dry and flakier than that of her scalp, tendrils and chin.

"You wanted to see me," began Samus searchingly, "here I am. Do you need help?"

"I do, I have a task which could use your expertise, you'd be well compensated. I have a friend, a man named Septimus, he's a retired Turian General." The N7 Soldier identified the name immediately; she had met Septimus Oraka in 2178 when her elite Special Forces team had taken part in a joint Turian-Human operation in the Krogan Demilitarized Zone. He was a cantankerous old war dog but he was also level-headed and sensible.

"What happened between you two?"

"I won't go into the details, but he wanted me to become _more_ than I could be. I refused him, and now he spends his days drinking them away in Chora's Den, spreading lies about me." Sha'ira came very close to Samus as she spoke, close enough for them both to affix their lines of sight on each other's eyes; the Asari reached out and caressed the hunter's supple cheek. Many might have been intimidated by the physical contact, Samus merely accepted the touch without reservation, it was nicer than a whack to the nose or a bullet to an arm or leg.

"If you can appeal to him as a fellow soldier, remind him of his position as a General. I believe he will rescind his case against me and let the matter be." Sha'ira embraced Samus slowly, nuzzling the other side of her face boldly; it seemed that The Consort harboured a crush on the stoic Commander. Samus prided herself on being an excellent judge of character and she sensed she could trust Sha'ira, so she breathed into her ear torpidly:

"I may need more than money for such a request..."

"Anything..." she breathed back.

"Information on Saren Arterius's recent activities and I make no promises." Samus prised her off gently – The Consort seemed mildly hurt but signaled her compliance.

"Of course Commander that's all I can ask...Now I must ask for you to take your leave, I have many clients waiting for me."

Traveling along the lake edge, Samus reflected that Fredericks would never believe her if she told him she had had The Consort rubbing up against her! At a transit station once more, she took a cab down to Tayseri Ward and ate out at a Chinese restaurant for lunch, marveling at the sights and sounds of the city. Surely, just this once, she could afford some time to relax and not stay constantly vigilant?

Swept along by the masses, she window shopped or sometimes sat on a bench writing more of her journal. Her Alliance badge keeping most of her male counterparts away. A spindly Salarian, carrying two bags of groceries suddenly tripped in the street and spilled the food out onto the road. No-one moved to help him pick up the produce, much to Samus's dismay.

Standing up, she walked over and crouched down with him, sweeping the foodstuffs back into his carrier bags. He muttered an unconvincing thank you while a giant of a Turian clipped Samus from behind as he walked by. "Jerks." She muttered to both of them as they went their ways.

While scrutinizing the wares of one shopkeeper called Morlan, her omni tool began to beep, signalling a message from Garrus, seems he'd found something already.

"Hey Shepard, Officer Vakarian here, we met this morning and...um, well I've found something you might be interested in. Meet me outside Chora's Den in twenty minutes; an associate of mine has some information on Saren and his ties with Captain David Anderson. Could be worth a shot for improving your case against him."

Checking a road sign, Samus made her way down the alley ways to the less then reputable drinking hole and met Garrus right outside.

"You made it, good, we're going to talk to a former police officer named Harkin, he's a miserable, immoral excuse for a law bringer, so be prepared to take some crap from him."

"Don't worry Garrus I'm a big girl, besides I have business here so I can kill two birds with one stone." The gentleman's club was unguarded and out of sight, opposite the bridge crossing a traffic lane. Above them, the pair never noticed two Turians, one medium and one large, monitoring them through binoculars from a perch a hundred feet up.

"That's her." Confirmed one.

"Hold off," said his bigger brother, "the team will take her when she's alone."

Garrus and Samus crossed the threshold of the club. Everything was tinged with blue light, eliminating the shadows to better see the Asari pole dancers debasing themselves for the gratification of drunkards and criminals. The huntress could see Septimus sitting in a red bathed side booth, a litter of empty bottles and flasks across his table, he looked very different from the martial, austere man she remembered, now he was a sodden, forgotten, self-pitying wreck.

He wasn't going anywhere, so the two went around the circular bar to the seats further back. Garrus broke off and went to locate Harkin by himself while Samus kept watch on the other patrons. A hall into the private rooms was barred by a wide Krogan bouncer, that in itself was not unusual, what was unusual was that there was another, much bigger Krogan in battle scarred Mercenary armour facing off against him.

"Back off Wrex! Fist told us to take you down if you ever showed your face here again!" Growled the younger Krogan with green eyes and a lighter yellow hide.

"What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here." Rumbled Wrex, while crossing his arms defiantly, Samus sidled up to the bar to observe the clash. The elder Krogan's face was a cartographic image of scars, a map tracing his long life and many battles, his eyes were of the deepest scarlet red, with black slitted pupils befitting his reptilian ancestry. Lastly, his hump and crest were far more pronounced than any other specimen Samus had encountered for his size, though he was by no means the most brutal Krogan she had seen, she had no doubt he was one of the smartest, he retained an air of unusual cunning about him. "This is Fist's _only_ warning," he ground out every word as if they were pieces of gravel, "if he's smart he'll _take it_."

"He's not coming out Wrex, end of story!"

Wrex leaned forward, causing the young'un to hop back in fright as the indeterminably old reptile, in a low voice that carried the power of centuries whispered: "This story's just beginning..."

And with that he he walked away. Rolling like a tank over any patron stupid enough to fall in his path. Samus stopped resting her elbow on the bar table-top, and braced her shoulder as he bumped into her. And it was _his_ shoulder that bounced off, the bull Krogan stared in surprise at the Human woman, no-one, especially a puny Human could be that strong. She gave him a piercing look in return, as if she were _testing_ him?

"Out of my way Human, I have no quarrel with you." Conceded Wrex, with a hint of respect in his rough voice, someone who could stop him from clearing his hefty amounts of personal space was worthy of not being beaten up.

Samus viewed his hunch back rescinding until he was out of sight, Garrus called her over, he had found their informant. He was a disheveled, mean-looking individual with a perpetually twisted grin on his face, he wore stained C-Sec fatigues that had seen better days, an ex-cop, who grinned lasciviously as she approached.

"Hey _baby_, looking for some _fun_, cause' I gotta say that soldier get-up looks real good on that _bod_ of yours." Garrus flexed his talons menacingly and advanced on Harkin but Samus placed her right arm over his chest, holding him back, giving Harkin a look of deep disgust. "Why don't you sit your sweet little ass besides old Harkin, have a drink, we'll see where this goes" He slurred.

"I'd rather drink a cup of acid after chewing on a razor blade." She fired back.

"You trying to hurt my feelings, sweetheart? You'll have to do better than that, twenty years of C-Sec I've been called every name in the book, _princess_." Samus contemplated crushing his hand holding his beer, driving the glass wedges into his palm until he screamed for mercy, instead she created a shimmering warp field on her left hand at her side as an appropriate motivator.

"Call me princess one more time and you'll be picking your teeth up off the floor."

"Okay, okay! Whew, you're one of Captain Anderson's crew aren't you?"

Garrus interjected into Harkin's bull shit with unmistakable venom. "Just tell us what you know before this gets ugly, Harkin!"

"How are you, hothead? Still butting heads with the Executor?" Vakarian grimaced, baring his fangs in anger. But Harkin took no heed. "Its all _connected_ you see, Captain Anderson used to be _a Spectre_, didn't know that did you?" Garrus exchanged a glance with the N7 soldier, this was news to her from her frowning expression. "Screwed up his mission so badly they kicked him out, of course, _he_ blames Saren."

"Details, details," she pressed.

"I don't _know_ any, you'd best ask the Captain, bet he tells you, he's too _honourable_ to lie to your face. One of those stuck-up military types. Yes sir! No sir! Can't have any fun with a stick up my ass sir! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Garrus crashed both fists down on the table, rattling him.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" He spat, "those were _classified_ Council records!"

"Come on Garry, lighten up, I've pulled cases for _twenty years_ remember? People on this station _love to talk_, secrets are like _herpes_, if you got em' you might as well _spread em' around_!" Harkin cackled, Garrus seemed to be fighting the urge not to drag him over the table and beat the snot out of him.

"You need to take a look in a mirror," he settled on ridiculing him. "Sober up, take some responsibility for yourself."

"Save your sermons, this 'aint no church," grumbled Harkin, mocking Garrus's culture in that social service for the good of the many came first for the Turian race. A virtue Harkin had never heard of apparently. Samus saw no reason for the man to lie, the only thing he had left was tearing down the reputations of others, he was sincere in that he believed it, she had to talk to Anderson.

"We're out of here," she pronounced, hoping to never look at the foul sperm-donor again.

"Good, let me drink in peace."

Garrus was livid as he walked beside her.

"What an ass, why did the Captain never tell you he was a Spectre?"

"We all keep skeletons in our closet Garrus, maybe its not true, but Anderson _hates_ Saren - I wouldn't be at all surprised if they had a bad history."

"Could it help the case?"

"At best it could be ignored, at worst it could be used against us. I only hope Anderson listens to reason on this matter."

"Commander!" Samus turned to see Septimus who had called out to her in recognition, a rehearsed look of one flabbergasted replacing the puzzlement on her face. As if she had only just seen her old acquaintance.

"General? Is that you? Its been years!" Oraka laughed pleasantly, shaking her hand and Garrus's with both talons.

"Vakarian Junior! Haven't seen you since you were a toddler! Your papa sends his regards, and Aran Shepard..." He invited them both to sit and he poured them drinks. "That mess on Guantar was nasty, you took down over _a dozen_ Krogan that day, saved many of my men, how can I ever repay such bravery? Let me tell you - Garrus, you - are in the presence - of a - hero; here!" He was babbling in slow fragmented speech, completely out of it.

"General," she said while levering the dextro spirit out of his loose talons before he dropped it. "I think its time for me to call in that favour you owe me." Septimus became abstemious at her words. Tiredly, he asked:

"What do you want?"

"I'm here on Sha'ira's behalf, your lies are _hurting_ her."

"_Good_! Her lies have been _killing me_ for years!" He slobbered drunkenly once more.

"Come again?"

"She rejected me, _me_! Septimus Oraka! General of the Turian Fleet!" Garrus chose a new angle of the argument.

"If you two were ever close I'd think you'd have more esteem for her wishes than your own." Septimus seemed to retreat within himself.

"I've seen a lot of terrible things in my time... and there's only one woman in this damn Galaxy who can make me forget."

"And if you feel that way why spread slander about her?" Garrus pushed his advantage, Samus was wary of two Turians pretending to drink together, when they were in fact keeping an eye on her table, Saren's men perhaps?

"Look kid, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but give it up." Samus decided to get on the offensive instead of trying to worm a guilty atonement out of him.

"Never let the enemy see your weakness General, you know this."

"Enemy?" A befuddled Septimus fell over the word, looking around the bar, his eyes falling on the two eavesdroppers. Quickly, they paid for their drinks and left. The Commander felt slightly irked that she would now be unable to discover the identities of her tails; but at least they were out of the picture for now and would convince Septimus to cooperate with her. "The only place I felt at peace was with her," considered Septimus forlornly. "So you think its that easy do you? Just straighten up and act like a General?"

"It damn well couldn't hurt." Garrus settled softly. Aran compounded his finisher with a firm nod.

"Hmm, you're _right_, Sha'ira's _worth_ the effort. Even if she won't have me back." He tried to stagger upright and Samus was forced to support him so he didn't keel over.

"This is no place for someone of your stature General, we'll take you home." She said while nodding to Garrus to go and bring his cruiser around, he left to carry out her request.

"Alright! I'll go to her! After I've had a cold shower, or two." Samus bought him a dextro coffee, she clinked glasses with him, another contact made...

"Here's to soldiers, acting like soldiers. You know, you might make a good General yourself one day Shepard."

The duo drove Septimus back to his Presidium penthouse and put him to bed. Garrus confiscated all of his alcohol as contraband and when he came around, Samus inquired into his knowledge of Saren Arterius. Showing him the data she had already collected, Vakarian added some of his own findings and together they were already building up a strong case for denouncing the psychotic Spectre. Septimus promised to look into Saren's military investments while Sha'ira could inspect real estate and other assets.

"Say you're a smart lady Shepard, fancy earning yourself a few extra credits?"

"I have more than enough but what does it entail?"

"An Elcor diplomat believes that Sha'ira sold his secrets," he commenced regretfully.

"Why?" Asked Garrus, between chugging a bottle of Tupari berry cider.

"Because I told him. This data pad shows where I got my info, it will exonerate Sha'ira and dispel the rumours I helped create."

"And you can't do this because...?" Paused Samus for his explanation.

"Uh, well, the last time he saw me I was – _disparaging his ancestors_ and – _shouting his secrets in public_. His name is Xeltan, he works out of the embassies, please Commander."

Unable to say no, Samus left with her detective partner and visited the Elcor embassy, putting the big alien's complaints and fears to rest The busy day was drawing to a close. Driving back down to the Wards, Samus bade farewell to Vakarian and headed back to her apartment, changing into her civvies which consisted of a dark grey tank top, blue jeans, black leather jacket and custom fingerless gloves with Chozodian lightning bolt symbols. The outfit was complete with a brown bandoleer, holster belt and greyish navy combat boots, she relaxed her hair style into her original tresses and ponytail, then hit the town for an evening out.

Awakening the following morning, Samus prepared for the day, her pressed and ironed uniform already laid out for her and a large turkey stir-fry and orange juice for breakfast. She set off early to walk the entire way to the Citadel Tower in one spurt, leaving her terminal on to run profiles through the Malkovich shadow system. After a refreshing amount of exercise, she reached the base of the edifice. Not far out from the lake, the relay monument was errected. Samus found it odd that it emitted a low level tingling hum, similar to the one she experienced when fighting enemy biotics or coming close to an element zero core.

The foyer of the tower was protected by DNA scanners, cameras and a small army of Salarian, Asari and Turian security checkers, all processing the parliament members and other Council officials through customs and up into elevators. Samus's details checked out and she soared upwards in the transparent lift, right to the apex. The Council Chambers were stunning, the vaulted ceiling stretching on for ever and five sets of staircases to attain standing on the petitioner's stage. She noticed Garrus not far off, having a heated debate with Executor Pallin.

"Saren is hiding something! Give me more time! Stall them!"

"Stall the Council, don't be _ridiculous_ Garrus. Your investigation is over." He warned, leaving. Garrus noticed his friend and walked over to her.

"The case is being closed, I asked them to extend the deadline but..."

"Don't worry Garrus," she assured "we'll get him."

"Yeah, I feel it in my gut, well, good luck Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."

"Don't hold your breath," she grinned, clapping him on the shoulder before parting ways. Ascending the steps, Anderson was waiting for her.

"Hurry up, they've already started the hearing without us." Captain and Commander crested the final set of stairs to meet the Council in person. A panoramic window framed the Council's holo images but they were not alone, the live feed of Saren Arterius's visage was there as well, looking about contemptuously at the present company. From across the stage, the three Councillors in person were arguing with Udina once more. Samus almost laughed at the detachment of it all, they were far away enough to have to rely upon microphones to be heard; she was sure that there were ship grade kinetic barriers shielding their side as well.

"The Geth attack is a matter of some concern," admitted Tevos, "but there is no evidence to suggest that Saren was involved in any way." Samus whispered to Anderson:

"Captain, don't rise to anything Saren says, you'll compromise our argument."

"I've been at this a little longer than you Shepard, don't worry." She bristled at his dismissal, then brushed it off, either way would work to her advantage she just had a few choice words to give to Arterius...

"An eye-witness saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Rowed Udina.

"We read the Eden Prime reports Ambassador, the testimony of one, traumatized dock worker, is _hardly_ compelling proof." Stipulated the Salarian Councillor mildly.

"I resent these accusations!" Saren hissed, "Nihlus was a fellow Spectre, and a _friend_..."

"That just let you catch him off guard!" Came the fuming reply from David.

"Captain Anderson," Saren's voice dripped with disdain, "you always seem to be involved when Humanity makes false charges against me. And this must be _Commander Shepard_, the one who let the beacon get destroyed." Samus stared into his glassy orbs, there was something dead and unnatural about them, they reminded her of the Husks, drawing out and projecting her voice to one of a low, more powerful register, she proclaimed stalwartly.

"The mission to Eden Prime was top secret, an Alliance expedition first and foremost, the only way you could have known about the beacon was if you were there." Saren smirked at her attempt to trap him.

"With Nihlus dead his files were passed on to me, I read the Eden Prime reports, I was unimpressed."

"No, you stole the report Nihlus delivered in confidence to Admiral Steven Hackett regarding the discovery in the Utopia System. I doubt that Nihlus could furnish you with a report after you put a bullet through his head! Or is there something I'm missing here!" Saren was now sneering outright at her, they both knew the truth, but she had no evidence. A fact that Sparatus was quick to capitalize on.

"Objection! The Commander's comments are pure _conjecture_, she is trying to undermine Saren's reputation through hearsay and emotional blackmail!"

"Well what can you expect - from a Human?" Laughed Saren viciously.

"You can expect me to _kill you_ the next time we meet." Growled Samus, every word enunciated with the precise exactitude of the hunter. Saren sputtered in rage, though his words dropped like thunder bolts in exchange for her ultimatum.

"Your species needs to _learn its place, Shepard._ You're not ready to join the Council, you're not even _ready to join the Spectres_!"

The rest of the hearing went by pretty much how Samus had predicted it would. Udina continued to voice his tirade on Saren's guilt, Saren claimed the Humans were deliberately wasting the Council's time. Then Anderson put his foot in it, as a last ditch attempt he used The Commander's vision to try and draw out a slip of the tongue from Saren. It didn't work, Saren and Sparatus suspended the evidence as a load of "wild ramblings and reckless speculation!" And called an end to the charade, Tevos and Valern agreed, Saren was not disbarred from the Spectres.

"I'm glad to see justice was served." Mocked Saren openly to Shepard and the others. Terminating the call, Saren immediately opened another line, it took a few seconds to connect. "Yes its me, go ahead with the operation tonight."

In seclusion, Anderson, Shepard and Udina decided on a plan of action. Samus revealed that her own investigation was going apace and within a week they could have a breakthrough. A quick update from her omni tool, and Adam had come through again, the banker, Barla Von was the Broker's premier information dealer on the Citadel. Excitedly, she related the news to the two of them, Udina wholeheartedly supported her endeavors. Anderson not so much, since he had not been informed about any of her inquiries. Udina bit Anderson's head off at the comment, blaming him for causing the Council to question their motivations.

At this time Samus took the Captain away and demanded the finer points of the history he'd shared with Saren. Anderson was evasive but Samus had ensnared him by her warning falling on deaf ears, he owed her the truth. And what a tale it was, the mission on Camala, Saren's lack of conscience as he butchered refinery workers and blew the core, poisoning the civilians with eezo dust fallout. Murdering nearly five hundred people to recapture a scientist. Samus could see the holes and the one-sided nature of his tale, he didn't reveal the nature of the mission, or why he had not stopped Saren from taking such extreme measures. There was more to this story than a speciest Spectre blaming the Human for his atrocities.

Severely irritated with Anderson's non-compliance, Samus placed this lead on the back-burner and went to see Barla Von. That proved far more successful. Though she was willing to pay millions for any Intel he had, the portly Volus shared a great secret for free, aware of her hunt, Saren had betrayed the Shadow Broker and cut his dealings down by a significant margin. He had also removed several subordinate cells from his organization, including the small-time 'criminal empire' belonging to Fist, the owner of Chora's Den. The crime boss was in deep, he would surely have a contribution to make in sealing his master's fate. Von pointed her towards a Krogan bounty hunter, hired by the Broker to kill Fist, Urdnot Wrex. Satisfied with the hefty proof, Samus conducted some more business with the financier in the realm of money, paying off the right people went a long way in shaping events, Von also said that he would gladly keep an ear to the ground for Wrex's location, she eagerly wanted to pool their facts.

That evening, at around 19:00 pm, Samus returned to her apartment and showered. Clad in silk pajamas and a woolen bath robe, she dimmed the lights and put away her black overcoat. That was when she noticed the first sign. There was a miniscule tracking device placed in her down-turned collar.

_"What the?"_ She drew out her omni tool, activating the video archive, all of yesterday's night and day, the last night, the events of today...Nothing! There had been no activity in her apartment at all. Ill at ease, Samus stretched out with all her senses, sight, smell, sound and touch, there was no-one there in any of her rooms. Sitting in the living area, the Paralyzer lying on the coffee table in front of her, she watched the news on the vid screen. In the middle of a report on a missing survey team in the Hades Gamma Cluster, she heard it. Laboured breathing coming from above her.

Acting as if she had heard nothing, she drank her mug of coffee then stood up as her door lock began to whine, a hacking module was battering through the firewalls of her apartment's front door. Keeping herself between the two assassins she leant against the wall nonchalantly, then hurled the cup through the air at the domed ceiling. It shattered its liquid contents on nothing but the wooden surface, brown droplets revealing the stealth camouflage field in use as a Salarian outline dropped behind the divan. A cybernetic arm exploded through the wall and seized Samus around the throat, incredibly durable carbon steel bones and artificial muscle polymers throttling her as she was unable to tense her neck cords in time.

The door burst open, two males, a Quarian and a Turian rushed in, both in full black infiltration suits, tinted green visors and gas masks, though the former already had that gear in spades. The Salarian had decloaked, wearing similar equipment he ran at the pinioned N7 Operative with a wicked, incandescent omni blade. Trying to drive it through her heart. Samus kicked him away, he crashed into a tall light stand and diminished the light of the room, even as Samus attempted in vain to slacken the iron grip crushing her trachea. The Quarian's omni tool buzzed to life, the sophisticated fabricator morphing it into a glowing, laser blasted circular saw enclosed around his clenched digits.

Shrieking a battle cry, the Quarian swiped the omni saw at Samus's face, she contorted herself and the whirling blade sliced into the arm of the cyborg assassin, for he was flesh and blood as well, evidenced as he screamed in agony at the shallow but wide gash loosened his grip. An uncharged biotic push sent the vagrant flying into the glass cabinets in the kitchen, bringing them crashing down. Aiming at the hole behind her, Samus then fired an overload pulse into her assailant causing him to relinquish her. She rolled to the left, coming up in a fighting stance, expecting the Turian to attack next, what she didn't expect was for the three present to duck and cover. Blinding pain filled her head as the two stealthed flash mines planted on both sides of the wall detonated, bursting her ear drums, burning her retinas and forcing her to black out and breathe in the two gas mines they had planted as well. The chemicals filling her lungs.

_"Stupid, stupid amateur!_" She roared through her deafened wits,_ "get up! Walked right into it! GET UP!" _They had hit her with a weaponized muscle relaxant in vapour form and thunder flashes, anyone else would have been unconscious or dead, but not her. Lashing out, she swept the feet out from beneath the Turian and Salarian assassins, who had clearly not expected an attack. With an almighty boom, the cyborg brought down the wall and charged in, coating everyone with brick dust. Samus's balance was destroyed as blood poured from her inner ear canals. Her hardy eyes though were coming back into focus as she dragged herself up. Only for the bear of a Turian, complete with extensive cybernetic prostheses, to grab her by the front of her bath robe and swing her into the opposite wall, denting the plaster. Head swimming, Samus felt a foot collide into her abdomen, driving what little breath she had recovered out of her.

That's when the kid gloves came off. For nearly ten years she had reined in her natural abilities, always in control of the situation. This engagement had been meticulously planned, they had the advantage and it could go either way. That had to change.

She grasped his calf on his next kick and sent a bolt of concentrated reave-siphon energy into his organic trunk, draining a portion of his strength and restoring her damaged hearing to full. Bear tottered, and Samus twisted his Achilles tendon until it nearly snapped, sending him thudding to the floor. She lurched back into the living area, chased by the Salarian and his deadly heat sabre. Samus hurled paraphernalia at him, keeping him at bay until she hefted a chair and broke it over his shoulders and neck. The Quarian flanked her and jumped onto her back seeking to slice her jugular vein. Samus flipped him over her to smash through the coffee table, right before she was picked up by a biotic push from the smaller Turian and cast into a cupboard.

Picking herself up, she pulled the sideboard down to impede them. Blocking off the kitchen from the living room, the smaller Turian managed to slide underneath and bound upwards, stabbing at her with his own biotic blade. Instinctively, Samus poured energy into her omni tool, the holographic state bracer radiated gold light and managed to deflect the molecular edge. Still not at a hundred percent, Samus got sloppy from the disorienting earlier attacks and let one through her guard; the shimmering knife cut into her breast and knocked her against the work surface, she could hardly feel the glass beneath her bare feet as her robe was stained red. Dancing evilly, the Turian darted forward to gut her, Samus executed a neat three-sets of dodges then caught his blade close to his body and wrenched the arm downwards so that his blade impaled his own foot, then she countered. Shattering his elbow and scapula in quick succession, the huntress tore the crooked limb around, and made him stab himself through the base of his own skull. For good measure she drove her own biotic blade home under his jaw, straight through his head. Blue blood and brain matter gushed forth, staining her hands as his eyes darkened and he dropped dead.

_"Three to go." _

Samus limped into the bathroom and barricaded herself in. From the sticky cam she could see them clearing the debris and checking their comrade, dragging him to the side so they didn't slip in the blue lake that spread outwards still. Laboriously she injected medi gel into her thigh, she'd gone soft, those losers shouldn't have been able to ambush her like that. Probably due to the work of the specialists, the Quarian and the Salarian. Those gas bombs had been home made, a testament to their virulence lay in the fact that she was still finding it difficult to inhale and that Quarian boy must have found and hacked the sticky cam to auto loop the playback function. _"These guys are pros."_

"Come out bitch! We know you're injured, don't make this any harder than it has to be!" Aran could feel her injuries healing inwardly, it was time to take these guys to school. She recognised the Salarian and the Turian from yesterday, that must have been when they had planted the tracking device on her, then they had followed her home and prepped the floor space for their assassination attempt. Meditating, Samus centered herself, then blew the door apart with a biotic warp. She knew where each contract killer was in relation to her position, a white blur, she fell among them. The Salarian, Twigs, despite barely any breath behind her fist, was punched so hard in the stomach that he threw up his last meal, a cascade of hot sick splattering his front. Bear was tackled, biotics hurling him into the window and cracking it. The Quarian swung his deadly weapon back and forth, she retreated into the kitchen, noticing the power pack electrical supply feeding the fabricator on his belt, a wire running from the box, along his forearm. Vagrant overstretched, the saw slicing into the sink and cutting into the water mains, splashing him with the clear liquid. With a flourish, Samus tore the cable free, sparks guttering and drove it into his chest. He jolted spastically, upright for five full seconds as the current conducted through him, frying him alive. Then, steaming and smoking, he fell, burnt out.

With a roar, bear moved faster than she could have believed. A nerve boosting cybernetic upgrade, allowing him to land blows that could shatter granite. Samus absorbed two, intercepted another, then warped his arm, melting the synthetic fibers into orange goo with the biotically assisted block. Her side kick connected, it transitioned seamlessly into a hook kick. Her uppercut landed, flowing into a double elbow whip. She seized his fringe and smashed his head into the sharp corner of the counter, taking him out of the fight. Twigs was staggering up, Samus killed him with a flying knee and drop elbow strike, the pincer blows mashing his horned head inside his helmet as they came together.

The whoosh of a thrown kitchen knife alerted her upon landing, she snapped the arcing blade inches from her with a chop in mid-air. Bear pulled out a meat cleaver from the fallen knife rack and cast it at her end over end. She grabbed it neatly by the handle and spun it back to sink into his thigh, cutting his femoral artery. Bear galumphed crazily at her, she re-directed him past her then reverse drop-kicked him through the weakened window pane. He seemed to float for a moment as time slowed down, he fell, and Samus caught him by his foot, her own feet balanced on the railing as she pulled him back up.

"You're coming with me." She said sadistically, bear got the message even in his half-dead state, he yanked the cleaver free and slashed at Aran's hand, forcing her to let go. He didn't even scream as he plummeted sixty metres, straight into the path of an oncoming car, the mess was indescribable.

Samus surveyed her trashed quarters resignedly, complete with three slaughtered assassins. Then the Quarian twitched, he was alive! And trying to chew on something from the frantic jerks of his head. The N7 soldier crouched beside him, and, unable to leverage his mouth, broke his jaw with a one-two punch to stop him from biting down on his cyanide capsule.

"Give me a name you son of a bitch! Who sent you!" She roared, the luminous eyes watered from behind the faceplate, lholo text suddenly flashed across the glass and a circle of light closed around his left eye. Right before his ocular nerve flash-bang went off and blew the orb (and his brains) out. Sighing dejectedly, Samus keyed in Garrus's number while flopping down on the sofa.

"Hello, Vakarian, I'm going to need some of your people down at my place. Make sure they have strong stomachs."


	14. Data Emanations

**A/N: Its Chinese New Year everybody! And so commences the year of the Dragon! Fortune and prosperity for all, I've finished all of my exams so on with the story!**

"_You stay in your prison__ of fear, with bars made of hopelessness, and all you get are three square meals a day of – shame! We'll take on Shen and prove to all those who are hungry for justice, and honour, that Kung Fu still lives!" _

_(Master Po – The Dragon Warrior)_

**Data Emanations  
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"Spirits Shepard, you could have at least left them somewhat identifiable in lieu of keeping just _one_ alive." Sighed Executor Pallin despairingly. Samus sat on the rim of an ambulance cruiser while a medic patched her up, wordlessly typing up her findings at the crime scene. While all the while, Venari continued to espouse the finer intricacies of 'by-the-book' investigations and the amounts of paperwork this level of damage and subsequent clean-up would cost his people. Some of the less experienced officers looked ready to throw up as they zipped up the body bags, Garrus's idea of a joke no doubt.

"Are you even listening to me Commander?" Pallin hissed through gritted fangs.

"Dal'Plabaya vas Qwib Qwib," she answered him with the identity of one of the assassins. "Exiled Migrant Fleet Marines technician of some repute, until he took a contract on one of his own kind, trigger for anyone who payed him enough, Saren chooses his people well. This kid concocted _home-made_, stealth camouflaged mines, not to mention the auditory muffler field generators that prevented me from hearing him and his cohorts."

"You have many enemies Shepard but I'm inclined to agree with you, one public denouncement of Saren in his trial by your fine self and suddenly you've got hit men kicking down your door." Behind the police line, a flock of reporters and journalists were taking pictures and trying to flag down C-Sec spokespersons. "Then there's the fact that, they were outfitted with some pretty unique gear, omni blades, suicide implants..."

"So you believe like I do that Saren was responsible for Eden Prime?"

"He's hiding something, we both know that, but because he's a Spectre, the Council doesn't want to do anything about it." The light blue tattooed Turian admitted gruffly, putting his hands in his coat pockets as he paced back and forth.

"That will change Executor; they've got no choice but to listen to me now. God bless the free press." She added with a glint in her eye, Garrus whole-heartedly agreed with Samus of course as he walked up to the pair of them.

"Yeah, the fourth estate will rip the Council a new one if they refuse to acknowledge _these_ rumours. Saren's time is running out." He smiled viciously as he sat down beside Samus and put a blanket around her because of the artificial chilled night air, eliciting a raised eye-brow from the huntress.

"Exactly Garrus, any competent reporter will make the connection, and I'll have the Council just _begging _for me to set the record straight."

"What will you do?" Asked Pallin tentatively, pleading silently to her that there would be no more fiscal (and psychological) casualties for the people of the Citadel once Aran Shepard started down her path. A group of teens had been unfortunate enough to witness the Turian assassin's pavement diving, not to mention the children inside that air car which he fell on...

"Commander Shepard! Commander Shepard!" Came the shrill voice of an investigative journalist with Asian features and brandishing a recorder excitedly.

"Who are you? How did you get past the police line?" Demanded Pallin, on the verge of having the woman escorted out by the nearest patrolman.

"Sorry, Executor, Emily Wong, reporter for Citadel News-Net, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions Commander?" Samus considered refusing her for a moment but then she realised she could form another important contact if she played her cards right.

"What do you want to know Miss. Wong?"

"I'm investigating organized crime here on the Citadel, were these men sent to kill you by Fist and if so, for what reason?"

"If you're asking me to help you rumble this guy then it'll be quid pro quo Miss Wong, first, you will make certain arrangements for me. Start up a smear campaign on Saren Arterius, he's the one who ordered this hit I assure you. In return, I will pass along anything I find in my own investigation into Fist's affairs." Emily couldn't believe her luck, it was the offer of a lifetime, she could smell sweet promotion not far ahead!

"Thank you Commander, if there's anyone who's going to bring down that low-life's criminal empire its the hero of the Blitz! I'll get right on it!"

"Its a good cause, I'll get back to you soon Emily."

"Thanks Aran!"

"Please, call me Shepard, everyone else does." Garrus and Pallin looked nonplussed as Emily Wong practically skipped away and Samus smiled inwardly.

"What was that all about Shepard?" Queried Garrus bemusedly.

"Connections, Garrus," she said while punching him lightly on the arm.

"Ow, there's no need for that soldier," he complained light heartedly.

Over the next couple of days, Samus spoke to Udina of her plan. When she wasn't being ensnared into interviews. Ecstatic, he got her another (private) meeting with the Council – who had been predictably inundated with questions from Citadel News-Net on why their top agent had tried to kill an Alliance war hero with hired guns.

The Council predictably refuted her claims and maintained that Saren could still not be connected to the attempt on Samus's life despite the rumours buzzing around the station. The fact that they had granted this audience spoke otherwise, they were just as shaken about the high-profile attack; Samus knew she had them just were she wanted them. Grudgingly, they allowed the case against Saren to be re-opened; and for the Commander to decide the day when evidence would be presented. She had two weeks.

As of the fifth day since the attack on Eden Prime, Samus was profiling Saren in her new quarters, located within the Human Embassy this time to ensure no repeated incidents occurred. Tomorrow she would meet with all of her informants and together they would compile enough proof to convict Saren of butchery, betrayal, hell, even jaywalking with the amount of shit they had unearthed through unofficial channels.

_INCOMING CALL FROM ALLIANCE HIGH COMMAND: _Paged her VI from the private terminal. _"Good, that will be Steven now."_ She thought, the tough old codger was still one of her staunchest allies, though the Fith Fleet had been securing the Utopia System from further Geth attack and she hadn't been able to contact him since.

"Shepard," greeted Hackett warmly as his weather-beaten, silver haired head came into view on the vid screen projected onto her blinds, which descended from an uttered voice command.

"Hackett, you've found a link?"

"I sure have, our outposts in the Armstrong nebula just went dark, near the Perseus Veil."

"The Geth are on the offensive already." Mused the hunter quietly.

"Yes, they may be paving their way for an all out invasion. I know its a lot to ask but we know that its only a matter of time before you become a Spectre. You'll have the ability to hit them where it hurts."

"Don't worry Admiral, I intend to. But we need an ironclad piece of evidence before my return to the petitioner's stage."

"Well our finest technicians managed to retrieve data fragments from Geth memory cores on Eden Prime and several more witnesses confirm what the binary had to say. They have a leader, an organic, who they refer to as 'The Prophet of _their_ return.' Whoever _they_ are, several colonists told us that The Prophet was definitely a Turian."

"Any visual records or holo-film?"

"No, I'm sorry Shepard, wish I could be of more use. But these files should strengthen your case if nothing else.

"Thank you sir, I'll look into what we've discussed."

"Watch your back Shepard, Saren's probably got more of his cronies on the station. Over and out."

* * *

><p>The following day, Samus met Garrus, Septimus, Barla Von, The Consort and Emily Wong in an upper class establishment on the Presidium, the young reporter looked a little nervous being in the presence of such elite individuals but she would have her part to play as well. Everyone was seated at a round table in their private booth, all in smart casual attire with the exception of Von; who wore his polished, gleaming white and black exo-suit.<p>

Samus presided, with the back of her chair facing the wall, old habits died hard. Barla Von and Emily sat to her left, meticulously ordering their files while Garrus, who sat on her right hand side tried in vain to emulate them; the poor man had obviously never been very good at organizing his work. Sha'ira and Oraka completed the circle, a frosty edge surrounded the pair, with Septimus seemingly at a loss to know what to say while The Consort kept glancing at him with a mildly reprehensive air.

"Okay people," announced Samus clearly, looking around at all assembled in turn while she set up her holo pad to take notes. "We are all here to bring a certain Spectre to justice, or failing that turn him from a respected civil servant into a renegade fugitive. I suggest you don't bandy any words spoken here unless you'd like to be targeted like I was. So, Von, what have you got for us?"

"Saren's holdings have been in transit for many months now, long before the attack on Eden Prime." He began in his wheezing, exacting tone. "I regret to say that I have helped him secure his deposits and varied trust funds outside of the Citadel and Unified Banking Act's restrictions. Even if he is deprived of his Spectre status, he will still command a vast network of spies and monetary investments to further his scheme."

"That's great Barla," said Samus as she scanned the figures he had handed her. "This proves he was pre-meditating the seizure of his funds. Another blow against him: including his connection to Fist and all that it infers."

"Thank you Commander," Von inclined his pudgy neck. "I'd recommend striking at his underling soon, Fist should prove no problem for your skills."

"Your faith in me is touching, you getting all this down Emily?" She asked, noticing the Asian woman touch-typing at a speed that rivaled her own.

"You bet Shepard, this stuff is gold!"

"Anything you could add to the pot would be greatly appreciated, though you side-lining Sparatus on yesterday's news more than makes up for any lack thereof." Samus fondly remembered Emily verbally tearing into the Turian Councillor until he was pulling at his collar and wiping the sweat off his brow. Just how had she got herself and a full camera crew into the Citadel Tower?

"Glad you liked it, oh, sorry guys – trying to finish up here." Emily stuttered frantically as she double-checked Von's gifted files.

"Take your time," assured Samus gently. Not wishing to scare the impressionable girl. "Who wants to go in the meantime? Sha'ira?"

The ethereal woman beamed at being adressed by the huntress and slid a small data pad across the table for Samus to read.

"A client of mine, who just so happens to be on Exo-geni's board of directors let this tidbit slip a few months ago during one of our more, _physical_, sessions." Purred Sha'ira sensually, the General nearly sprayed his water all over Garrus, who was forced to slap him on the back as some of the water went down the wrong tube, causing him to hack violently.

Once Septimus's coughing fit had died down, he gestured weakly for them to continue. "As I was saying, he told me that Saren Arterius had bought a large share in Exo-geni colonial efforts and biological research. But that's not all, Saren has an intermediary acting for him in the purchase of major shares in Binary-helix, another –"

"Underground Synthetic and AI developer, free from Citadel oversight and conveniently both located in the Traverse and Terminus Systems, Sha'ira I could kiss you!" Declared Samus joyfully, Oraka stopped himself from drinking at the wrong time again, clenching his jaw so tight that the liquid dribbled down the front of his suit while Garrus sniggered under his breath. "Its a water-tight link to Saren's interest in manipulating the Geth, Nihlus Kryik told me that Saren was patrolling in the region since 2166 at the earliest. Whatever he's found in order to control them, to bend them to his will; he's been researching it, in detail – for the better part of seventeen years."

"I'm glad to be of service Commander, the go-between is an Asari high in the echelons of my people's government, unfortunately, I am unaware of her identity."

"Its more than enough Sha'ira, I'm in your debt. _This_ will damn him, both companies have a penchant for the illegal. No Spectre can take a passing fixation, a _hobby_ if you will, on network architecture and artificial intelligence when you're investing into the _nine digit figures_. It beggars belief –"

"Finished!" Yelled Emily triumphantly, causing all eyes to fall on her. "Oh, right, my contribution, where did I put it now...?" She rummaged under all the notes she had taken while everyone else waited politely. Samus crossed her arms, deep in contemplation.

"Aha! Found it!" _It,_ was an old press cutting, from twenty-six years ago. Detailing the bombing of Temple Palaven on the Turian home world and the death of General Desolas and his followers.

"I've heard of him!" Exclaimed Septimus suddenly, "Desolas Arterius, taken as the first Turian prisoner of war at Shanxi. The elder brother of our dear turncoat here." Samus studied the article for a few brief moments, then passed it on for Garrus to read.

"As fascinating as it may be Emily, it doesn't help our current situation."

"There's more to every story Shepard," justified Emily fairly.

"Perhaps, one day I may learn the whole messy past of the Spectre who's brought us to this pivotal moment in the Universe's relative time." More drinks were ordered, as well as the main meals for afternoon tea. "And finally we come to my two favourite Turians, what have you got for me, gentleman?"

Septimus went first, "some of my old contacts have informed me that Saren has been supplementing his forces with Krogan, Battle Masters in particular when he can find them. Large gangs of Bloodpack mercenaries and freelancers have rallied to his banner, somewhere in the Traverse for now. Such migratory patterns haven't been seen since the beginning of the Krogan Rebellions; Saren's gathering the old hoard around him."

"Most worrying," Samus steepled her hands, her elbows resting on the arm rests of her chair. "And all the more reason to stop him, Barla, any word on Wrex?"

"None yet Shepard, he knows how to stay hidden, probably planning his raid on Chora's Den, Fist would never leave his fortress."

"Then we'll dig the rabbit out of his warren. Detective, I've saved the best till last I hope." She turned to him after receiving the reports from the Krogan DMZ Oraka had handed her.

"And you won't be disappointed Shepard," Garrus's mandibles stretched apart in a toothy grin as he procured a hard copy of a thick folder marked: CONFIDENTIAL: SPECIAL TACTICS AND RECON, MISSION FILE.

"How in the name of my benefactor's ghosts did you get your talons on a classified report like that?" She shook her head in wonder. All the others were staring at Garrus, how had he managed to pull such a feat off?

"I went behind Pallin's back, used his clearance as the liaison between C-Sec and the Council, he's not going to be happy when he finds out. Might even cost me my badge!" He seemed thrilled at the very thought. "Its about Saren and Anderson's mission to Camala, not the abridged version the Captain gave you." Samus accepted the document gladly, it would shed light on things to come. "Now by the Spirits lets eat!" proclaimed Garrus, eliciting laughs from around the table.

They had reached the dessert menu when Samus decided to take a quick leave of absence from her guests, walking out onto the balcony, with the Presidium bathed in the pink light of its sundown time period; she swigged her glass of liqour, barely registering the warmth in her stomach, then cast the rest over the railing towards the lake below.

"Commander," fluttered the soothing tone of Sha'ira, Samus turned to see The Consort walking over to her, concern in her beautiful features. "Are you alright?" The former bounty hunter considered her predicament for a second, then replied.

"I'm fine, all of you have done magnificently, I have leads that I can track Saren down with, but at the same time – I feel that the Council doesn't _want_ to believe he's gone rogue; for all our proof they could say it points to something else entirely."

"You will convince them Shepard," Sha'ira laid a comforting hand on her own, which lay on the rail. "Just as you convinced Septimus, he sent me a lovely note you know, I think we may become friends once more."

"That's good to hear, it was my pleasure to help."

"You are too kind Commander, but I would not expect you to help me out of the kindness of your heart. I'm – I'm sorry I did not come forward earlier with the information I had, I blame myself for your near miss those three days ago. If the Council knew of his investments –"

"Don't, Saren's men would have tried their luck anyway, they will again." She placed her long-necked glass down on a nearby table, still not looking fully at Sha'ira.

I have a gift for you, if you wish to receive it." Samus felt a minor telepathic pull from the Asari, the offer was genuine; she made full eye-contact, ashamed at her own rudeness.

"I'd be honoured."

"I offer you a gift of words, an affirmation of who you are and who you will become." Now the hunter's curiosity was really piqued. "I see the sadness behind your eyes, they tell me a tale that makes me want to weep. Pain and loss but it drives you, makes you strong. It is that strength that draws people, it is why you lead and others follow without question. You will need that leadership for the battles to come." Samus gazed at her with a mixture of gratitude and astonishment, Sha'ira was extremely perceptive and was also waiting expectantly for a reply, did she seem almost, apprehensive?

Samus sensed that her next words could command Sha'ira for far more if she so wished, the Asari was smitten with her but the huntress quickly rejected such reciprocating thoughts, it would not do to engage in such carnal activities when there was still so much to do.

"You have quite a gift Sha'ira," she finally settled on maintaing a cordial friendship, if she visited her too often she had no doubt The Consort would learn her secret.

"Thank you, not many appreciate it as you do. Never underestimate the power of words. In light of your success with the Elcor diplomat, I would like you to have this small trinket." It was a hand-held Prothean carving, almost like a key of some sort.

"What is it?"

"A small mystery, remember my words when doubt descends Commander Shepard; they will give you strength." The Asari who Samus considered a modern-day oracle left her on the balcony, the simulated breeze swept her hair and clothing around her as she examined the artifact in the sunset; the creak of metal awoke her, her left hand had indented deep indentations into the chrome steel of the balcony's railing. Chozo hymns rumbled in her tightening chest and throat, she bowed her head, dreaming of the songs of her fore bearers. Mourning lives lost, including her own.

* * *

><p>The following evening, Garrus and his Human friend were soaring through the Ward traffic after a hard day compiling all of their evidence into a report that the Council could not deny. Samus was wearing a set of freshly washed civvies, a bottle-green buttoned shirt, loose, dark blue jeans, complete with her custom gloves, combat boots, black leather jacket and hip holster. Her golden mane was groomed, layered and let down for a night on the town.<p>

Vakarian was also out of his blue and black C-Sec armour, garbed in a stylish grey thinsulate shirt, a waistcoat coloured the same as his tattoos and black cargo pants that enclosed his feet as well, Samus had always wanted to know how the hell Turians got their trousers on without snagging them on their calf spurs, but it would be rude to ask. Then there was that dorky one-eyed Kuwashi visor he always wore, did he ever take it off? For the meantime, the duo were going on stake-out near Chora's Den to see if they could shake down any high level enforcers, or run into Wrex again.

Both were packing their sidearms, Garrus his .75 Seraph magnum in an underarm holster and Samus the Paralyzer on her right hip. The boot of Garrus's undercover police air car also contained her U-44 Volkov sniper rifle and a coded weapons locker with grenades, thermal clips and ammunition block upgrades.

Currently, they parked in a side street with a good view of the club's discreet entrance.

"Pizza Shepard? You did pay for our meal yesterday," Garrus offered while Samus finished typing another codex entry in her journal.

"Sure thing, meat feast if they have it. I'll keep watch." The Turian opened his door and left Samus to remain vigilant, ever since the assassination attempt, Samus had reverted to her old ways, not letting the slightest disturbance distract her – especially in a crowded civilian area.

Soon enough, Garrus returned with two pizzas to tide them over, he keyed his visor to recognise known associates of Fist's inner circle and warn him with a bleep so he could talk to Aran at the same time. "Got to say Shepard, that is an awesome piece you've got there." He indicated the Paralyzer pistol at her side while chewing on his purple pepperoni laden slice of green melted cheese pizza, evidently reverse engineered for dextro-amino species.

"You like it? I made it myself when I was very young," Garrus whistled appreciatively as she handed him the weapon, after he had cleaned his greasy hands on several of the disinfectant wipes that came with the fast food.

"Reflex dot-sight, firing pin polished to a mirror sheen, checkered grip for ambidextrous use...Wow! A nano electro mechanical Graphene heat sink! This stuff is more costly pound for pound than platinum!"

"Which means I have a _prohibitively_ expensive advantage over your clumsy weapon," teased Samus.

"Hey! Don't badmouth the Seraphim! Its ammunition capacity may be pathetic but its muzzle velocity is unmatched...and I can throw it at people because its so damn heavy – yeah it does sound pretty shit doesn't it?" He added as an afterthought, causing Samus to chuckle at the turn around. "Agh! Fuck!" Cried Garrus as he accidentally activated the knuckle duster switch on the Paralyzer, transforming the barrel into a ridged metal glove and nearly breaking his over large fingers in the process.

The two of them bantered on for another hour, discussing all manner of things: from their favourite scopes to their past services in the military. Garrus even conceded that he was considering leaving C-Sec to help her track Saren to the ends of the Galaxy, Samus didn't know what to say, he was an excellent fighter but he reminded her too much of herself when she had just started out, impressionable, idealistic, naive.

Walking through the lower Wards with Garrus once they had exhausted their patience, the N7 Guardian received a call from Jeff, the team was having a party in Flux, a popular nightspot, Samus was only too glad to accept the invitation and bring along the detective as well.

Flux was a sleek, respectable club, its most extreme vice was quasar gambling machines which made it very dignified indeed considering the lack of Asari dancers. Nothing could compare to Afterlife, Samus hoped to one day have a reason to set foot on that fell station again in the future and settle the score with Aria T'loak.

"Shepard! You made it!" Called Joker from their table, Ashley, Kaidan, Jamie, Russell, Wahib and Fredericks were all there, they all seemed to relish the exclusivity their Alliance fatigues gave them and Joker would never part with his lucky baseball cap, or change his clothes very often for that matter. "Have you been avoiding me Commander? Its been five days. You don't call, you don't write...how else am I supposed to take this?" Jeff shook his crutch menacingly at Samus with his patented sense of humour, much to everyone's delight when their superior officer promised to make it up to him with a dance. "No thanks Commander, I don't want to break my feet with you looking for an excuse to throw me around, besides, I'm not the leading type."

"Who's your friend?" Asked Williams, not even looking at the miffed Turian as she arm wrestled Craig, who was losing spectacularly.

"This is Garrus Vakarian, the hero cop I told you all about."

"Nice to meet you," said Kaidan, extending a hand. "Shepard's told us everything about you."

"I should certainly hope not," replied Garrus stiffly, shaking Alenko's hand awkwardly, Samus sat down with her comrades, though Garrus seemed slightly excluded being the only Turian and eventually took his leave. Contrary to her extended offer to Jeff, Samus did not dance that evening, leaving it to the guys to try and get their groove on.

Ashley tried to get her up on the dance floor many a time until she snapped at her so hard that the younger woman practically fled. Dejected, Samus surveyed the Ward arms in all their myriad glory, she thought of busting into Chora's Den herself that very night and kicking Fist's head in, the sudden lag in the investigation was severely discouraging.

"Big place." Murmured Kaidan out loud, he followed Aran's gaze, having just come back from the dance floor and taking a draught of his chilled beer, Samus was in no mood for small talk.

"That your professional opinion Lieutenant?" She injected more venom then was necessary.

"He's right Commander," Ashley pushed her luck again. "Its not a station, its a city, the Council represents more races than I thought." Samus considered leaving them to pick up the tab.

"Hmm, it does put Arcturus to shame, I'd say the term 'melting-pot' is inadequate," she started to rise, Kaidan didn't seem to realise the Commander was tired, so he continued.

"Jump Zero was big, but this is a whole different scale, look at the Ward Arms, how do they monitor everyone coming and going, let alone keep all the different races and cultures working together." Ashley agreed to a certain extent.

"It can't be easy, or maybe they just don't like Humans." Samus was growing more annoyed by the second, it looked like Williams was an ignorant bleeding-heart nationalist and a xenophobe.

"What's not to like?" She allowed a hint of mockery to drip into her voice, calling on the archaic and laughable pro-Human propaganda that was marketed by people like the Terra Firma Party. "We've got oceans, beautiful women, this _emotion_ called love. According to the old vids we have everything they want."

Ashley backed down, but Kaidan's mind was on other things. "Well, when you put it that way there's no reason they wouldn't like you...Us! Commander, Ma'am!" He scratched his neck as Samus put on her jacket, embarrassed at his Freudian slip. Ashley grinned at him and elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

"You don't get much shore leave do you LT?"

"Try to control yourself in future Lieutenant." Said Aran sternly, then she left. Kaidan's puppy dog eyes staring after her, Williams rolled her own unashamedly as Kaidan garbled his apology as effectively as if he were taking mouthwash.

"Oh good Lord."

Samus walked alone down a secluded alley aimlessly for the time being, maybe she would take Sha'ira up on her implicit offer...A gunshot echoed through the streets, so much for that thought.

A nearby fire escape ladder was twelve feet off the ground, as only she could, Samus ran and leapt, her right foot latching onto the bottom rung in a superlative display of grace. Her run lasted three quarters of the way up before she grabbed onto it with both hands and propelled herself on all fours to the top of the building in a single bound.

She landed in a perfectly balanced crouch, then proceeded to sprint and jump along the roof tops faster than the eye could see, following the unique whining crack of modded rounds blasting forth from sub-machine guns. _"Two aggressors, this is going to be laughable."_ Over the edge she could see a Human and a Salarian dressed in similar combat gear to the four she had disposed of beforehand, their muzzle flashes were green, signifying chemical payloads. They were targeting someone hiding behind a dumpster.

Without hesitation, Samus jumped down onto the Salarian from a thirty foot drop, knocking him out of the ball park as he crumpled underneath her. The Human was well trained, he spun instinctively, his weaver stance firm and ready as he drew a bead on the N7 Operative. There had been five metres between them when he spied his partner go down, two metres as he whipped his firearm around, half a metre when he envisioned his target. Not nearly enough for him to win the day. Samus diverted the pistol over her shoulder as he fired, twisting his wrist as she broke his cheek bone with an elbow strike, rolling him onto his back with a slam dunk and popping his lights out as he smacked into the metal floor.

Omni tool aglow, she prised the long barreled hand gun from his grasp, the fabricator dismantled the inner matrices into molten slag, Samus ripped the softened components apart, casting the lithium sink and accelerator module in different directions. Looking up, she saw a glowing upside down formation of purple tri-corner lights staring back through a misty plate of glass, a veil covering the small head, a Quarian? The girl, for she let out an eek of fright that was certainly not masculine, scarpered.

"Wait!" Samus rounded the corner, she had disappeared. _"What could Saren's men want from her?"_ Mused the huntress, the Quarian had been hit in the confrontation, there was a small blood spatter on the floor, Samus took a DNA sample, then restrained the unconscious pair of attack dogs and called in her backup, Garrus would not take long, so she checked the ammunition clip, rubbing the shiny, lead-lined magazine, a small blister appeared on her forefinger then faded away; polonium rounds, outlawed except in the Terminus and favoured by hit men. Her worry grew, a scratch left untreated by a toxic slug could lead to radiation sickness and Quarians were outcasts and beggars outside the Flotilla. Hardly any had fixed jobs or a consistent salary, not even the Alliance had anti-radiation medicine on immediate stand-by. So the girl would have to go to a clinic eventually to get treatment.

Garrus arrived in his unmarked cruiser and together they tossed the suspects into the back seats and drove to the C-Sec Academy. "So, you got two alive this time." Congratulated Vakarian.

"Always the tone of surprise." She countered, Garrus was cut off by an incoming call on Samus's omni tool.

"Commander, its Barla Von, Wrex has been brought down to Citadel Security for accosting Fist's people one too many times, if you hurry you might catch him." The duo were already flying back to the Academy as Samus listened to the call.

"I guess it wasn't his choice, once again Barla, thanks."

"I try not to get in too deep, I don't like danger Commander, I'll leave that to you."

"Nothing will reflect badly on your enterprise old friend, I'll stick with your financial advice next time, goodbye." She terminated the signal, soon enough they had arrived. Officers escorted the two assassins into processing while Garrus tried to fill in the arrest forms as quick as he could, taking pity on him; Samus took over, finished them in his name and entered after him into the main lobby.

Three officers surrounded Urdnot Wrex, who dwarfed all three in combined bulk, a Human sergeant who came up to his lower jaw was glowering up at him while two Turian constables flanked him with riot guns. The scene would have been almost comical had Wrex not continued to display all the hallmarks of erupting into violent rage: crest lowered to butt anything that got too close, puffing himself out to seem more impressive and large, even openly stroking his double barreled shotgun!

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," ordered the sergeant, making it clear that there wasn't any room for negotiation. Samus stood a few metres off, watching the scene unfold like in Chora's Den.

"I don't take order from you." Wrex intoned with a heavy bass not dissimilar to granite boulders rolling down a cliff.

"This is your final warning Wrex," threatened the sergeant bravely, the Turians tensed to make a move but Wrex merely leered at him scornfully.

"You should warn Fist, I will kill him." More courageous men than the sergeant would have backed down then and there, he was struggling for an answer.

"Do you want me to arrest you?" He retorted lamely.

"I want you to try." Chuckled Wrex darkly, noticing the same immovable woman from six nights before out of his peripheral vision, she would prove a more interesting conversationalist than these morons, he decided to see if they would stop him from leaving, he turned his back on them.

"Go on! Get out of here!" Jeered the sergeant to Wrex's back, he ignored him, you couldn't give every fool what was coming to them and as he had thought, they were cowards who were forced to eat their words but she, she seemed different. He advanced on the blonde woman with long strides, she stood stock-still, refusing to back down.

"_Good,"_ he thought. He took in her scent and was dumbfounded at what he registered. She was alien, even from other Humans. True every Sentient smelled different on a base level but in all his travels he had never felt but one creature that caused his fear glands to secrete, until today. She had the blood of a predator and the supreme confidence to match, she exuded the proverbial 'killer-instinct' in waves, it made up her very being, like the Maw he had killed on Tuchanka so long ago. "Yes, Human?"

"_But is she?"_ He wondered silently as they stood face to face, her blue eyes boring into his red.

"Barla Von told me I could find you here Battlemaster."

"_No hesitation, no fear, she's been at this for almost as long as I have, a tracker and hunter without equal, who is this woman?" _Out loud he would never admit such however.

"Barla Von is a wise man, who are you and why have you been searching for me?"

"I'm Aran Shepard, perhaps one as old as you knows of me." The name certainly did mean something to the aged Krogan, he now understood why she had come so far in so little time, her presence was undeniable.

"Shepard, _Commander Shepard_. I've heard a lot about you." He certainly wasn't going to go around singing her praises though, he was far too dignified for that. A name came to mind, it was what the Krogan among the Terminus bands called her: 'Plate Crusher.'

"And I you, are you aware of my hunt for Saren Arterius?"

"Sounds like you and I may have a common goal here." Inquired Wrex searchingly.

"Spit it out then," Samus replied brusquely, "or are you trying to build _suspense_?" The scarred Krogan guffawed his next words in admiration.

"Hah! I like you Shepard, we're both warriors, so I'll give you fair warning out of mutual respect. I am going to kill Fist." He did his tried and true invasion of personal space, she didn't even flinch as he turned his head slightly to view her in full.

"We'll have a better chance if we work together, his head is yours, I need whatever information he might have that could destroy his new employer."

"Ah...Fist did a very foolish thing betraying the Shadow Broker, greedy bastard switched sides as soon as Saren offered to pay him more, word on the street is he's after a leak. Someone with evidence that could lead back to Arterius."

"Well isn't that a coincidence, I've just apprehended two of Saren's men, they'll tell us _everything_ about this unwelcome security threat, then we can plan an assault on Chora's Den."

"My people have a saying Shepard, seek the enemy of your enemy and you will find a friend."

"I like that saying Wrex, I think you and I are going to set the world on fire."

"Amen to that," said Wrex while accepting the Commander's grip and shaking her hand in the truly Universal gesture of an accord.

Wrex and Samus walked side by side to the interrogation booths, where Garrus was awaiting them.

"Shepard, I see you found him, Officer Vakarian," he introduced himself warily to the big alien. Wrex's lip curled disdainfully.

"You didn't tell me we'd be working with a Turian, Shepard."

"He's competent Wrex, I expect both of you to follow my lead unless you want to be left behind, are we clear?

"Sure thing boss," growled the bulky Krogan. "But this stripling is as green as they come, junior here will be a liability to the both of us." Garrus's hands were balled into clenched fists.

"Wait till you see him in action Battlemaster," Samus stood between the two 'allies' who were already at each others throats; "or are you doubting my judgement?" The gauntlet had been thrown, Wrex shifted from foot to foot, then reluctantly stood down.

"Okay, but he better be good." Garrus had had enough of his crap.

"I've served in the Turian military for five years! I took down an entire gang myself last week!"

"Oh yeah, I heard about that robbery. So you think because you shot some street punks you're fit to fight alongside _me_?"

"For your information I -"

"Children, children, children!" Interjected Samus, now placing her hands over their chests to hold them back. "You will both maintain the respect due to a soldier of _equal_ rank, if one or the other crosses that line, so help me I will turn this expedition around!" Chastised, both men nodded solemnly. "Now kiss and make up, we've got a job to do."

The trio reached the booth and Garrus got them all inside.

"Guess you're good for something C-Sec," needled Wrex as Garrus looped the camera feed with his omni tool so they wouldn't be disturbed.

"Don't push it Krogan," muttered the detective, a vein beating in his temple. The Salarian was the only one capable of coherent speech after Samus's clouting, Garrus was breaking a million rules and regulations considering the assassin should have been sent to a hospital, the three of them weren't concerned with him being comfortable though. "I'll have a crack at him first, I've had a lot of experience _questioning_ suspects." Samus indicated for him to proceed.

"Hey! Rise and shine sweetheart!" Garrus backhanded the Salarian's bruised and cut face, waking him up with a start. "Tell me who you work for and I might not break your neck." He breathed terrifyingly, Garrus was certainly an intimidating sight, all armour and spines, he was _pissed_ after Wrex's doubts; it didn't stop the Salarian from spitting in his face. The goo was mostly green because of his forcibly removed suicide pill and without his omni tool or helmet HUD, he couldn't activate his ocular nerve flash bang. Vakarian wiped the dribble away: "Bad move."

Samus shook her fair head as Garrus punched the assassin repeatedly in the face. He had a black eye, cut lip and bent horn by the time Wrex intervened to stop the Turian from wailing on him. "That's enough Vakarian!" He pushed Garrus aside who looked, if possible, even more furious that the grizzled Krogan was protecting this sleaze ball. "Its time for you to stop this. Your hands are too weak for this kind of work, watch and learn!" Wrex's swing sent the suspect's teeth spraying across the room, "TALK!" The second lifted the Salarian and his seat clean off the ground, still handcuffed to the chair he skidded into a corner, blood and molars were spat everywhere. "ANSWER ME!"

"Nice one genius! Now you've ruined his ability to speak! What next? Are you going to cut out his tongue?" Roared Garrus in frustration.

"Well you weren't going to get anything out of him with those feeble love taps!" Boomed Wrex, getting in his face.

"Cease and desist," said Samus dangerously, both of them did. "This needs a woman's touch."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun duuuuhhhh! Seriously, how did Wrex know about Tali? Garrus I can understand because of his investigation but Wrex was going after Fist primarily, that's why we're going to have an interrogation scene to find out...Next week, i.e. Towards the end of this week! We'll finish off the Citadel, until next time!**


	15. Any Objections Councillor?

**A/N: Lightning update! Thank you to all who continue to read my work, I've just pre-ordered the collector's edition of Mass Effect 3 and am in a constant sense of anticipation for the series to be wrapped-up for my own unique take on the ME Universe. Now, the forming of one of the greatest teams in all of existence takes off!**

_"Soon there will be war. Millions will burn. Millions will perish in sickness and misery. Why does one death matter against so many? Because there is good and there is evil, and evil must be punished. Even in the face of Armageddon I will not compromise in this."_

_(Walter Joseph Kovacs)_

**Any Objections Councillor?**

"Right, Mr. Vinko, that's your name isn't it. We're going to have a little chat." Samus spoke to her Salarian victim in an acerbic manner as she pulled a chair around to sit on, forearms resting on the back support. He had been patched up with some medi gel, though he was still a mess. Wrex and Garrus stood in opposite corners of the room, watching the show.

"How do you – how do you know my name?" His voice was mumbled thanks to Wrex's dental ministrations; but he was still comprehensible.

"I know who you are, Halado Vinko, because you claim to be descended from the thirteenth and only surviving League of One member. The very fact that you would do such a thing doesn't confide in you as one possessing the attribute of salient logic. You're a war criminal, and a terrorist, a hit man for Saren and if you don't confess this, I will extract it from you."

Both men had to admit it was impressive seeing her work, the Salarian had opened up to her merely due to the tiniest bit of kindness she had shown in alleviating his suffering. Now she had trapped him by revealing prior knowledge of his past.

"I won't talk, I'm a professional, from one to another, you can understand that, can't you?" He begged pathetically. Samus stood and draped her jacket over her chair casually, then came around to lean against the backrest, arms crossed.

"Of course I can, so I'm going to appeal to something much older than your professionalism. One of existence's two sovereign mistresses, in particular, the far more – reliable of the pair, is pain, she will never lie to you. Everybody has a limit, Halado, even me I suppose, hah, though I can assure you it would take several lifetimes to break me. Save yourself the trouble, I need all the Intel you can provide, you'll start by telling me about the Quarian you shot this night, why you are pursuing her. And in return; I won't send you to hell and back."

The Salarian straightened his spine proudly: "I respectfully decline." Samus rubbed her mouth and chin in feigned exasperation, then straightened up.

"Admirable, but very foolish. Wrex, turn him around." As the Krogan complied with her order, she strode over to the wall's power socket and isolated the supply current with her omni tool, then she pulled two lengths of live wire from underneath the plastic tubing.

"Shepard those are ground cables, they've got enough juice to cook a man alive!" Protested Garrus in a fierce whisper.

"Keep out of this Vakarian, he's _mine_." Samus glared at him while attaching a holographic amplitude resistor into the mains and synching it with her overload pulse program. The resistance was just over 1600 0hms. Wrex lumbered over to observe her handiwork.

"I like the way you think Commander." He said satisfied and proud of the woman he had signed up with as he saw her hands mould the utility into an appropriate motivator.

"Then make yourself useful," she held out her hand, "service kit." Wrex handed over his ceramic mod case. Deftly, Samus forged two long spikes from trace iron particles and connected them to the wire endings; ignoring the sparks that flared over her fingers. The two aliens exchanged astonished looks as she handled the electrically conductive prongs without rubber protection .

The huntress turned the charge down to 50 volts at 0.03 amps a second, to make absolutely sure that the alternating current flowing through Vinko's wet, squidgy body would be just low enough to be _more_ than uncomfortable, _excruciating_ was the word that came to mind, but certainly not lethal. For a short time...

"Hack into the switchboard, switch to emergency lighting," she told Garrus. The white rays of luminescence were extinguished, plunging the room into blackness, with a flicker, a green backup bulb illuminated their prisoner faintly, he steeled himself, his breathing quickened as the Krogan circled him, stopping in front and giving him an evil grin. The big reptile pushed the restrained occupant of the chair into the darkness with his foot. "Leave us." Vinko heard Shepard say with absolute authority.

"Ahww, but I wanted to see the frog fry," complained Wrex as he and Garrus vacated the booth. Vinko could barely see a thing and he couldn't hear the slightest scuff of a footstep behind him. He sat tensed for about a full minute after the two who had rearranged his face had left.

Piercing agony ruptured through the fleshy hollow between his ribcage and hipbone, Vinko screamed like a girl as the three inch nail bit into his intestines, buried halfway in his flesh with the wire trailing down the chair.

Now Samus loomed over him, the other spike in her left hand, she tossed it to and fro playfully as Vinko wept and sniffed tears and snot in his misery.

"Why are you after her?"

Vinko shook his head in a quavery refusal, immediately wishing he hadn't as lances of complaint shot through his lower body. The N7 Operative merely nodded in understanding, then drove the implement straight through the cup of his hard suit.

The squishy ablative polymer and the member beneath were skewered, Vinko's voice broke as he shrieked to the high heavens, once again Samus pushed the spike in deep, until it scraped his pelvic bone. Driving him into a fit of screeching, primitive reflex.

"These rooms are sound-proof Halado, do your worst. _Unfortunately_ - since your... _partner's_ trachea is completely caved in, all the answers will have to come from _you_ tonight." She sat facing him, holding a ragged anti-static cloth all balled up in her omni tool lit hand, in the other was a small tube of concentrated medi gel.

Vinko was inhaling and exhaling heavily, nearly spent already as his phlegm-like blood started to run down his legs and pool at his feet, it was almost black in colour under the shallow light. Aran held up both items for him to view.

"Last chance, I won't stop after I've begun. So, the sedative in return for your co-operation and a nice long stint for attempted murder. Or the alternative, you get hooked up to the main grid until the metre checker comes calling." The Salarian would have spat full in her face if the act of leaning forward had not triggered the worst sensation of his short life, nearly causing him to black out and a feeble spray of jade spittle to spew from between his lips.

"I'll take that as a no, then." She pocketed the medi gel before forcibly stuffing the dry, musty material into his mouth; so that the charge would not conduct straight to the moisture on the tongue's surface and scramble his brain, she needed him lucid after all.

Halado moaned in panic as the Sentinel armed her omni tool and set the first pulse for five hundred milliseconds. The main lights flashed perpetually as the current ran into the assassin's back and crotch; muscle spasms flinging his limbs against the metal bonds that held him until he cut and scraped the skin off his wrists and ankles.

Not only did the obvious constant exploding of nerve endings wear him down on the physical level, but the strobe effect of the fluorescent lights served to batter him psychologically. Awakening a thudding migraine as the first series of shocks abated.

Shaking from the after-effects, Vinko felt his gag being torn from his hair-line cracked jaws.

"If it's just for a quick duration - it won't _ever end_ you. _Every time -_ you refuse, I will extend your reminder for three hundred full milliseconds. That _will_ accumulate. Now tell me, what does the Quarian have that's so important to Saren?" Halado maintained his muteness.

* * *

><p>The nearly two second-long burst of electricity jolted his chair legs off the floor, Samus didn't let up, she asked him to signal with a nod or shake of his head; he chose the latter. She activated a pulse that was sustained for over three seconds: Burning his meat away and causing him to urinate steaming piss as his kidneys and urethra ruptured from the electrical fire.<p>

"People like you," Samus kicked off conversationally after the tenth round of shock treatments had ended. "You're more used to inflicting pain than enduring it." She said with unmistakable loathing in her voice as she pulled the sodden rag from his mouth. "You owe Saren nothing, I can make your end a little easier for you if you tell me how many men you have deployed on the Citadel and answer the questions I posed to you earlier."

Vinko was an absolute mess, sitting in half of his bodily fluids, third degree burns on his torso and slim waist, plus an unrecognizable mess of melted tissue in his lap. He couldn't even be called a man.

"Kill me," he rasped, Samus scanned him with her omni tool to check his vitals.

"That would be too good for you Halado, you're a _long way_ from death. In fact, I'm going to pop out for a bit while I leave you in her capable hands."

"What are you doing? Oh god no..." He moaned in despair as Shepard turned down the current at the wall and left the adjustable voltmeter set to administer a five second shock every ten seconds, for an hour. "Arrrggghhhh!" Vocalised the Salarian as the torture began, electrostatic discharges blazed from the two nails, inflaming the nerves but no longer even jolting his muscles.

"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING!" He echoed in desperation as Samus picked up her jacket and began to leave.

"Of course you will, in an hour."

"NOOOO – " Samus closed the door, cutting off the cry of unbridled fear that even now had to be transforming into one of unmatched pain. The incessant anguish, sleep deprivation and flickering bulbs would reduce him to a babbling wreck. She took no pleasure in it, but it had to be done, this was war, the enemy had found her once and had nearly succeeded in dispatching her, next time, it would be on her terms. When someone threatened Samus Aran or her friends, the rulebook went out of the fucking window.

Garrus was pacing around the main lobby in impatience while Wrex leaned casually against the side of the elevator leading to the private docking bays. Samus tossed her jacket over one shoulder as she neared the dysfunctional duo.

"Did he talk yet?" The question bursting out of the impetuous Turian, Samus looked at him with a skeptical frown.

"He's no common thug that you can pummel the answers out of Garrus, as much as I hate to admit it – Saren's actually got some well-trained individuals on his side. They're definitely ex-military, special forces, even. There may actually be some credence to Vinko's claim..."

"That doesn't matter," Wrex grunted noncommittally as Garrus berated himself inwardly for his presumption, what did he know about real torture? "The Shadow Broker is getting impatient and I don't leave jobs half done."

"At ease, I've used this technique before on persons with far more training than poor Vinko, he'll crack eventually, possible he already has, either way; I always subject the patient to at least two sessions in solitude in order for them to... mull things over."

"What if he confesses after the first hour's up?" Queried Garrus worriedly.

"Then I _make sure,_ he's not lying to save his skin, another hour regardless." Garrus went pale, Wrex nodded his big head approvingly before spying the detective's fringe whitening.

"What? Don't you have the stomach, C-Sec? HAH!" He barked maddeningly, Garrus was on the verge of striking the bulky Krogan when Samus gave the Battle Master the verbal put down of his career.

"You can't talk Wrex, what kind of interrogations have you pulled in that long life of yours? Never start with the head, they get woozy enough to not even feel the next blow. God, you're an amateur."

"Subtlety isn't one of my _strong points,_ Shepard. But there's no need to twist the knife in the wound," he mumbled ruefully, acknowledging mentally that he certainly had to work on that area in his spare time, hardly believing that he could have neglected such an important life skill for seven centuries! She had an infuriating habit of being right!

"And you _will_, stop antagonizing one another. Now, we are all going to play a nice, civilized game of Skyllian five poker together, so we can get a bead on how we all tick and to gauge what our reactions in combat might be."

"And for cash," added Garrus helpfully, Samus sighed.

"... Alright, for cash as well."

Despite the fact that Turians and Krogan were nowhere near as expressive as Humans, Samus maintained the most emotionless facade during their game, Wrex ground his teeth slightly whenever he got dealt a bad hand and Garrus's mandibles were as rich in expression as any facial muscle, twitching involuntarily upon claiming a single pair or fluttering excitedly when he had anything higher.

Nearly everyone had gone home for the early morning, it was currently 2:89 a.m. and the graveyard shift had not yet realised that Officer Garrus Vakarian was breaking a hundred rules by allowing a Human military national to torture an attempted murder suspect to the brink of insanity.

"Time's nearly up," she informed them, "let's see if our friend is more willing to confess after that." Garrus threw down his cards in disgust while Wrex dragged the pot in, chuckling gruffly.

Samus entered the dark booth just as Vinko was electrocuted for the umpteenth time that day, slowly, she deactivated the current and sat down in front of the ravaged hit man; who was slumped over, charred and sobbing.

"Now, what shall we talk about?" She posed.

"Twenty," he gasped desolately, naked truth ringing out in all its clarity. "Saren hired - twenty of us to kill you – and to secure any...Potentially damaging Intel, the Quarian, she has audio files, lifted from a Geth platform about - three days ago. Saren's agents traced her here - and we were ordered to terminate her - and retrieve the data before she could go underground."

"I see, Saren's done quite a number on you; I've never seen such dedication from a mercenary. Will you repeat what you told me on record?"

"Go - to - hell."

"You first Halado, you first." The huntress left him for another solid hour with 40 volt jolts as his only companion, while she, Garrus and Wrex discussed a plan of action in order to find their most promising lead. They eventually settled on checking for clinics who had tended to a Quarian over the next few days. In terms of operational zones the trio decided to search within the confines of Tayseri Ward since they all agreed that the girl would avoid public transport of any kind to another section of the station; it was where spotters tended to congregate.

"Vakarian! Shepard!" Hollered Executor Pallin as he came down from his office, obviously working late and not looking best pleased. "What is that racket I keep on hearing whenever you exit the interrogation booth? The audio mics in the lobby picked it up. You're not –" He trailed off in growing disbelief, then it clicked. "No, even you wouldn't go that far..."

The detective exchanged a knowing look with the N7 Operative as Pallin struggled to comprehend the level of improper conduct happening right on his front door. Wrex began to play a game on his omni tool to distract himself from the proceedings.

"I mean, I know the Commander is a specialist in the area and – WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!" Pallin exploded like Krakatoa, railing about having them both incarcerated for infringements on inalienable rights while in custody.

"Venari we need to get it out of him, he's part of Saren's outfit, the one that tried to kill Shepard in her apartment last week." Justified Garrus heatedly.

"That's no excuse! Do you know what the Council would do if they heard about us using such methods?"

"Technically I used those methods Executor, leave Garrus out of this." Samus rejoined while Wrex finally bothered to look up at the argument.

"On his watch! Under his supervision! I should bust your ass down to personnel so fast your head will spin Vakarian!" He roared while pounding his fists on a nearby table.

"Personnel?" Sneered Garrus insolently, "that's for assholes." Pallin looked around, his hands clutching the table edges so hard it seemed they would be ripped up.

"I was in personnel, for ten years." The Executor chewed up every word and flung it at Garrus with absolute fury.

"Yeah..." Garrus responded safely but with definite cheek, Samus gave him an askance, searching look.

"Its almost like he doesn't care anymore whether he stays at C-Sec or not, a striking personality who aims to emulate mine, he's going to be trouble."

"Are you trying to lose your badge Vakarian?" Fumed Pallin.

"Maybe, there is a problem after all with this job."

"YOU KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS! YOU ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO WORK WITH, YOU'VE BEEN CAUSING THIS DEPARTMENT TROUBLE FOR YEARS!"

"Well we can fix that, I quit." Spat Garrus, Pallin mouthed like a fish out of water, he hadn't expected this, an apology and and explanation maybe, but not this!

"Are you j-joking?" He stammered.

"I couldn't be more serious." Garrus replied vindictively, Samus took the Turian to one side while Pallin looked fit to faint, for all the property damage he cost the tax payer, Vakarian was one of his finest detectives, he couldn't afford for him to leave, and neither could Samus, at least, not yet.

"Without your position I can't get a confirmation from Vinko, there could be far more than fourteen of those assassins out there, keep him busy while I find out."

She slipped away before Garrus and the others could even notice her disappearance.

* * *

><p>Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was in a bad way, she sat high up on a secluded ventilation duct up past the Ward walkways. Hissing in Kal'eesh, she prised open her medical kit and removed a small section sealant cover and a set of laser forceps, placing the transparent partial bubble over the bullet wound on her left thigh, she put her hand through the small opening, which became an air-tight vacuum and began to extract the radioactive shrapnel in her leg.<p>

Medi gel may be a disinfectant and painkiller all in one but a Quarian's non-existent immune system meant that a second's exposure to un-sterilised air could result in a severe allergic reaction to foreign bacteria, prolonged exposure would cause fungal infection and a slow death.

Mindful of all of this for as long as she could remember, Tali took no chances in funneling a dose of anti-biotics to the injury sight, she let out a warbling cry inside her helmet that could not be heard by anyone else as she had turned off the speakers. Working her forceps carefully with dextrous fingers, the young Pilgrim pulled the blistering metal out of her raw wound, eliciting a fresh cry, she had never been shot before and intended to avoid it whenever she could. In spite of the bio plasm, itching still plagued her, this was something beyond her skill to heal. "Some kind of poison? No, oh Keelah, it's radiation isn't it?" It dawned on her fearfully, if she didn't get medical help soon she could have a cancerous tumour on her hands.

With her exo-suit's hexagonal patterned gloves stained red, Tali eventually removed four separate pieces of the round and sprayed a herbal compound over her freshly cauterized wound, sighing as it dulled the pain that would soon spread through her if not treated.

Lastly, she patched up her suit with a temporary cover and clambered down nimbly, searching for a place to hide from the men trying to kill her, she hoped to thank that woman though that had leapt, quite literally, to her rescue – but she could not, not without drawing danger to innocents; she would not allow that. Not for her, not ever.

* * *

><p>It had gotten, very messy. Halado was one tough son-of-a-bitch. Samus had had to resort to pulling off fingers and toes and pouring battery acid on bare skin before Vinko screamed his confession for the second and third time, babbling incoherently, promising her anything if she would just stop.<p>

She finished recording his ramblings for the second time, he had been driven completely insane, but he was _certainly_ telling the truth, military subjects always ended nastily, they knew all the mental loopholes to counter intuitive lie-detecting. Breaking them down was the only recourse. He sat there, laughing sickly as he gazed up at her with adoring deification in his glazed, shutterless eyes. Aran injected him with all of the concentrated medi gel, straight into his heart, ending his purgatory forever.

The door whooshed open with Pallin storming past Garrus, he stopped dead at the sight of Shepard standing over the expiring wretch, her face a blank canvas of emotion.

"How? How – could you do this Commander? You're no better than Saren, sinking to this level." He said with evident disgust, Wrex snorted scornfully as he entered after the two Turians, taking her side as he walked over to the woman he would follow, she was worthy.

"You're wrong Executor, I'm worse," she clarified frankly with a faint touch of sarcasm. Pallin was at a loss.

"Do the ends always justify the means for you Shepard?"

"If there's only the lives of worthless scum on the line then yes, everyone has equal opportunity to dignity, some choose to forsake that dignity with dishonour and death, men such as this."

"Underhanded liberalist you may be Shepard, I should have you arrested."

"You really want to deal with Ambassador Udina, this early in the morning?" Pallin's convictions were shaken to their core, he didn't know what was right or wrong anymore.

"This will not stand. You are corrupt and I will bring you down." He vowed, Wrex had had enough.

"Don't piss in my ear and tell me its raining, plenty of C-Sec agents can be dirty, mercs can be crooked, politicians - don't get me started. But this woman is as noble as they come. She took it upon herself to do what none of you Hrakhors had the courage to do, she stands by her beliefs and doesn't dispute other's moral beliefs, she believes in her own." Everyone was stunned by the Battlemaster's refined and moving speech.

"Thank you, Wrex," said Samus sincerely, the big reptile grinned knowingly.

"Well, I may be starting to like you Shepard."

"Earlier this night you said you liked me off the bat."

"All shapes and sizes."

"Apples and oranges."

"Sticks and stones."

"ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE!" Bellowed Pallin, "you betrayed the law!" Garrus came to the rescue, of his boss before Wrex could put him through a wall for insulting his new leader.

"Actually, I condoned Shepard's treatment of the captive, this is my responsibility."

"I'm considering putting you on suspension without pay Vakarian!"

"Of course you are, now go home Venari before you get nightmares." Outnumbered and defeated, the Executor left, muttering revenge under his breath.

"There may be hope for you yet, C-Sec," acceded Wrex roughly, as if it cost him a great deal not to insult Garrus each and every time he spoke to the Turian. "Now let's get this place cleaned up, anyone hungry for fried Salarian?"

* * *

><p>The triumvirate of vastly differing beings reached one of Aran's private safe-house apartments in the upper Wards, she had invested in many all over the Galaxy and they were all furnished for the hunter's tastes.<p>

"Nice place," Garrus mentioned in passing as they all traipsed in after the hard night's work, they had all agreed to begin tracking the Quarian down before Saren's men got to her. But for now, Garrus retired to one of the five rooms while Wrex went to the fridge and glowered at its contents as he opened it up for bloody iron-filled protein surveyance. Only to find gourmet food that wouldn't fill half his belly.

"Cant say the same about the food," said Wrex grimly, "I may have to resort to eating _him_." Samus had come prepared for satisfying the Krogan's appetite.

"Down here Wrex," she gestured to a staircase leading down into a basement, "I thought you might be in this for the long run, so I took the liberty of having a few freshly slaughtered Varren carcasses delivered from the local abattoir."

"Much appreciated Shepard; the only way you could make it better is if I could killed them with my bare hands." He thanked her as he saw the huge frozen packs of meat in her large freezer coffin. "I'm not too hungry now though, so, I think I'll call it a night."

"Think fast!" Samus tossed one of the white, red-stained bundles at him with one arm, surprising Wrex greatly as it ploughed into his chest making him seize it with both hands to balance himself.

"Good Kruban, Shepard! A young split-plate couldn't have done that, there's far more to you than meets the eye..." He said shrewdly, Samus smiled cockily in return.

"Perhaps. We've got a big open oven upstairs, rotisserie style that for tomorrow, we'll have a feast after we locate that Quarian and retrieve the evidence."

"It's a date, though I would have thought you had plenty to put the traitor away for a hundred life sentences," Suggested Wrex as he tore off a raw lump with his flagstone teeth and chomping it down before replacing the cadaver in the freezer.

"I do, but for it to be linked with the Geth we'll need a knock-out blow, something that we can use after I present Vinko's testimony to the Council, something that will humble them."

"The Turian can help you with that, me, I find reading calm, relaxing, tranquil..."

"You'll help us pool ideas?"

"No, just wake me when it's over."

* * *

><p>The following morning, Garrus got up early with Wrex following a few hours behind, Samus needed the least sleep out of the three of them and had already finished reading the classified Spectre file Garrus had acquired for her. It pertained to hidden aspects of the story; much of which had been omitted by Anderson: The fact that an Alliance scientist named Khalee Sanders had been involved, that David would have compromised the mission to rescue her spoke depths about his unwillingness to make hard decisions. But Saren, he had deliberately executed the rogue AI Specialist, Dr. Shu Qian along with his Batarian financial backer and taken the flash drive containing advanced system architecture based around an alien vessel discovered near the Veil.<p>

"The mother ship!" Realised Samus, "it was there on Eden Prime, an ancient craft pre-dating the Protheans, were its creators responsible for the mass extinction?" She was pulled from her thoughts by the arrival of her two new colleagues. Garrus offered to track down leads on any Quarians admitted to treatment centres within the last twelve hours. Samus pointed him towards the study while she and Wrex went to the training room the former bounty hunter had set up as a matter of custom.

There, Samus swept through her martial forms while Wrex performed maintenance on his antique, double barreled .96 bore 'Savage' shotgun, cobbled together from bits and pieces of other riot guns and older tech; it was still in perfect working order and held the customary lithium sink and cone spread AP 'shredder' rounds in place of a usual magazine.

As tenderly as if he were rocking his new born son, Wrex finished cleaning out the clunky, right-angled weapon while Samus began to pick up speed in her movements, battling dozens of imaginary foes, her fists and feet cut the air so fast that air pockets of dust could actually be seen exploding into being, as if even they, for all their insubstantial being could not endure the voracity of the Chozo's most powerful child.

"An impressive performance," nodded Wrex, "but it seems gravity and air resistance isn't a worthy opponent, I'll take you on." Samus finished executing a twirling triple kick, tracing a typhoon of dust particles, she cracked her knuckles as she opposed the Battlemaster, saluted Wrex with a clenched fist to palm and gave a low bow. The Krogan removed his outer armour until all he wore was a set of dark trunks; he bared his throat and beat a tattoo on his chest ominously, signaling the start of their friendly fight.

He allowed Shepard to make the first move, she jumped high, coming at him with a set of double snap kicks, Wrex soaked up both blows with his thick forearms but was unprepared for the continuing bicycle kick which rocked him back to slam against the wall. Once again he was stunned by her strength, he threw a shoulder charge which the tall blonde allowed to spin her to his flank and deliver a clever trip while pulling his crest back with a sharp yank.

Wrex plopped down and Samus wasted no time in raining a volley of punches onto his craggy face, he felt one of his teeth give even as he managed to block most of them and grab one of her fists just as she pulled him to his feet. He attempted a head butt which Samus intercepted with one of her own, Wrex felt something crack, whatever it was, it wasn't anything relating to the N7 Guardian's skeleton.

Samus broke the impasse with an upwards sweeping knee, followed by a pair of thumb eye gouges, Wrex tossed her strikes away with outward circular motions leaving him wide open for one of Aran's multiple kick sets. Her heel kick doubled him over, her climbing knee caught him under his wide jaw and her backwards flip kick whipped his head back as they both flew up off the ground; Wrex landed on his hump, rocking back and forth as he crashed to the mat several times because of his curved shape refusing to bend straight. Samus alighted on one leg in a crane stance, much more gracefully.

Nursing his bruised jaw and crown, Wrex hefted his bulk off the floor even as Garrus came in wielding his hand cannon. "I heard fighting, what's going on?"

"Just a sparring match between friends Turian, don't get all excited." Garrus still didn't lower his gun as Wrex stepped up to the Commander and appraised her thoughtfully, then he held out a fist which she bumped with her own. "Shepard."

"Wrex."

The Krogan Battlemaster retired to his own room for a while, deliberating an extended tour with this, Shepard. She was without a doubt the most remarkable person he had ever met. He had felt it before, when he had first smelled the differing strains of an archaic, alien blood line within her, the way her actions had spoken for her though confirmed his certainties. She spoke to both the warrior and the philosopher within him; he had been lost for so long, turned his back on his people, fought as a soldier of fortune across the Galaxy for centuries, and for what? For credits? No. She would give him a greater calling, a different path, a war the likes of which had never been seen...

Garrus had read through countless patient lists but still no luck, if they came up with nothing in forty hours it meant they were lost; and they only had six days before the Council stopped the adjournment. The Commander was sitting in a lotus position upon a window ledge, meditating while Garrus gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"Are you troubled Garrus?" She ventured, her eyes still closed and completely engaged with her own inner peace, trying to draw out the visions of the Prothean beacon.

"Its just that, even if we find her, there's still fourteen of Saren's men out there, how can we identify them? They'll be in civilian dress, we're in a minefield of chaos and conspiracy."

"Don't let your emotions rule you Garrus, your mind is like an unsettled lake, allow it to calm and the answer becomes clear. If it comes to violence and in all probability around me, it will, you'll have to renounce your position with C-Sec, but let me make this clear, you are not free to do things your way, you are merely replacing their tenants with mine and the only rule with me is that you follow any order I give you without question. Is that clear?"

"Without a doubt, Commander," avowed Garrus.

"Good, of course, in my absence you are free to exercise your professional judgement and I'll gladly listen to any advice you have to give me on matters relating to your areas of expertise."

"You don't have to worry about anything Shepard, with the damn bureaucracy out of my way I can finally get things done out there."

"It's not the job of the rules to be there for their own sake Garrus, it's to balance out destructive attitudes."

That night, Samus dreamed restlessly, free from the world while Garrus sent out feelers to the doctors he knew on a first name basis, Wrex was imitating a one-handed shotgun style that the Commander had demonstrated to him earlier in the day, in the sound-proof gun range at the back of the house, he still shook his head in wonder at the sight of her holding the twenty kilo weapon without so much as a tremor in her thickly corded arm as she fired it repeatedly. _"Who are you Shepard?"_ He had asked her before she had retired to bed; she had looked at him with a mixture of melancholy and triumph in her eyes. She paused on the darkened steps, steeped in shadow as she contemplated an answer, with deliberation she mustered every drop of meaning, to impart to the old alien who held her up as one he would follow to the end.

_"The Metroid, the one whom you will pledge loyalty to, for I will earn it." She ascended with silent tread and Wrex felt both confused and satisfied._

_"Translator glitch maybe?"_ He mused, doubting it in his heart.

_Back again, portents of death and destruction, myriad flashes of the old machines, reaping their grim harvest, the Citadel laid bare for the first time, relay monument up close, a planetoid sheathed in light, organic mush fusing with circuitry...Reapers...Reapers...Reapers. The death, THE DARKNESS!_

"Huuaahh!" Gasped Samus as she awoke barely stopping herself from jolting upright into a sitting position, her heart was in her mouth, she got up of her own accord and strove for meditative harmony yet again, ordering the images and the spine chilling sounds into a recollection she could put down into her journal, once again scribbling it in a personally invented Chozodian cipher. They were out there, somewhere, biding their time and Saren was trying to harness their power for his own maniacal ends, just like the hunters so many lifetimes ago, the wheel of life comes full circle.

* * *

><p>The final day before the Quarian's trail disappeared for good, Wrex and Garrus came through for the brooding huntress, the Battlemaster had been informed by Shadow Broker intermediaries that the Quarian had made contact with Fist's men, in particular, a mole that the Broker had managed to maintain in Fist's operation and Vakarian informed them both that an old friend of his, Dr. Chloe Michel had surreptitiously told him that she had treated the young woman and had further information to impart in person. Things were coming to a head.<p>

"Right, here's the plan," Samus and the others stood around the main dining table ready for action, Garrus wearing his C-Sec armour, his Kuwashi visor and .75 Seraphim, Wrex was in full Mercenary armour too, with his prodigy amp charged and Savage shotgun locked and loaded. Their leader wore her usual civvies along with the hard shield, silver buckled belt, holster and Paralyzer, neural omni tool and biotic amp maintained to perfection; there was no time for retrieving her full armour from the Normandy, not when the spotters were closing in.

Tying her hair up in her original style, she outlined how they would drive to the upper markets and try to locate the spotters on foot, marking them for now but not engaging, as they neared the clinic, Garrus would enter from the East entrance, Wrex from behind and Samus through the front door just in case they had company trying to secure or threaten the good doctor. The pincer movement would ensure not one of Fist's or Saren's men would leave there alive.

Garrus drove them all in silence, the Commander had also snapped her grenade dispenser onto her belt while Wrex configured an air soft squash pellet setting if it came to open war in the markets, though she had told them both that this was strictly last resort. Take-downs had to be as quiet and inconspicuous as possible if the opportunity presented itself but at absolutely no cost of endangerment to innocent bystanders.

Stopping the car, all three split off once they had got out, so as not to draw undue attention, they all maintained radio contact though, Garrus had not enjoyed having the sub dermal implant and receiver injected into him the day before. Wrex swept the crowd aside with his imposing form, the side-facing eyes of his preying ancestors affording him excellent peripheral vision, he spied two suspicious characters loitering nearby, hands straying to coat pockets, checking that their concealed weapons were still there; he marked them with his retinal HUD, transmitting the real-time positions to his friend and colleague.

Samus had marked three more spotters as she walked along a chain of windowed shops, their reflections apparent in the glass, but they didn't recognise her due to the cover she constantly walked between, never allowing her noticeable good looks to be seen for more than a second. Garrus drew unavoidable lapses of disguise from three other individuals, wary of a cop in uniform, he didn't spare them a second glance. They had eight of the fourteen, this was going better than he had expected!

One unlucky Human, new to the whole spy gig, recognised Shepard on some level and followed her without informing his comrades, not wishing to reach for his ear piece and give himself away, he already had. She turned and clouted him in the groin with her knee as he neared, to any passers-by it seemed like a mild collision, his face screwed up as his blood-flow was interrupted and his deep external pudendal artery hemorrhaged. His brain began to deoxygenate so he was quite helpless as Aran sat him down on a public bench while his body fought for life, yet within seconds he had blacked out, never to awaken. The huntress removed his omni tool, scanned the communication chip and tossed it in the closest bin, an Asari-Elcor couple looked on curiously as she made the dead assassin comfortable, rolling up his jacket to act as a pillow and propping his feet up so that he lay on his side, 'sleeping,' Samus noticed them and said apologetically:

"Sorry, please don't disturb my friend here, he's dead tired."

Moving dynamically, Samus hacked into their frequency, the seven remaining were already searching for their missing comrade, that left six off site somewhere...

"Commander, I've reached the med clinic, East side," came Garrus's voice over her radio.

"Same here Shepard," answered Wrex for the North. "Looks like I can climb onto the roof and get the drop on them from the open balcony, orders?"

"Do it, prepare to recieve automatic updates from Saren's men, I've got a run-time on their broadcast signal, we can hear everything they say."

Click...czzz...czzz...czczcz..."Jerome, Jerome? Answer me goddammit! He's not responding! Everyone keep your heads on a swivel, Shepard's here, find her!"

"You've got them scared Shepard," noted Wrex approvingly. "Now lets bring the pain."

All three surrounded the clinic, Samus walked in first, to see the doc being threatened by five big Human bruisers.

"I didn't tell him anything I swear!" Michel attested, the red head was frightened out of her wits.

"That's good doc, now if Garrus comes around you stay smart, keep your mouth shut or we'll -" His piggy eyes fell on the Commander, they widened comically, "ahw shit!" He seized Michel around the throat in a lock, using her as a human shield while pointing his pistol at the intruder, Samus drew her own gun and leveled it at his just visible head, the other four turned their weapons on her but no-one fired, all of them in a true mexican stand-off.

"Both of you, don't make a move," mouthed Samus imperceptibly into her implant, when you have lived a life behind the security of a helmet, one learns to becomes very proficient in hiding any facial or even audible cues for that matter when out in the open. It was expert ventriloquism; and she was a master.

"Affirmative, Shepard," replied Wrex.

"I think I've got a shot," answered Garrus.

"Don't take it, I've got this," she growled as the men waited for her to make the first action.

"Who are you?" Spat the leader, tightening his grip on Michel, his gun wavering while hers remained still in a relaxed two-handed grip.

"Let her go," her voice rang out clearly, "and I'll let you live." The big guy looked ready to piss himself.

"No offence sugar, but you don't look like the kind of person who let's people go."

"Depends on the type of person," Samus began to gather a concentrated barrier wall to coalesce between Michel and the five goons, she projected a tapping sound into the far corner of the room, causing the two at the rear to turn about, that's when all hell broke loose.

Garrus sprung up from his hiding place, behind a gurney and popped a round in the hostage taker's temple from within five metres. The exit wound blew half his head away, blinding the others as the gore splashed into their eyes, Samus was forced to turn the barrier into a homing push as Michel dropped, screaming, believing she had been shot. the biotic attack smacked two of the punks into one another, breaking their bones with a sickening crunch before they were cast over the balcony to impact the street ten metres down. At the same time, she took one with a head shot just as Wrex swung in and kicked the last one down onto the floor, stunned and scrabbling for his fallen pistol the punk was borne aloft by the Krogan's bulging arm and executed at point blank range in a shower of red offal and entrails. Shredder rounds were not subtle.

Samus gave the place a quick once over for any more threats while Garrus sat Dr. Michel down, the poor woman was in shock, Wrex leaned against the wall, displeased that he'd only gotten one, that and the sound of people screaming and calling C-Sec from down in the lower street, they'd have to move, soon.

"Perfect timing, Shepard!" Crowed Garrus jubilantly, "gave me a clear shot at that bastard!" Samus turned on him so quickly the air shifted.

"What were you thinking? You could have hit the hostage!" Garrus struggled for an answer as she glared at the victim of her displeasure with such intensity that he just wished to disappear.

"There wasn't time to think, I just -"

"Evidently not, think, for one second. Dr. Michel, are you alright?" Though shaken, the doctor had visibly calmed.

"Yes, thanks to you all of you, but did you have to...?"

"Absolutely, now if you tell us what you know we can protect you from Fist."

"The Quarian, she came by yesterday, she'd been shot but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could see that she was scared, probably on the run. She offered information for a place to hide, So I set her up with Fist at his club, he's one of the Shadow Broker's agents you see and -"

"Not anymore," interrupted Wrex, "he's thrown his lot in with Saren, which means he's probably got her in his club."

"Then we need to find her now, its been long overdue, but its time to pay Fist a visit." Garrus stepped foward, trying not to fumble his words.

"Commander, this is your show but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do."

"Leave him behind," said Wrex dismissively. "Why would you want to bring down one of your own anyway?" In response the Turian's words began to increase in strength and power.

"I couldn't find the proof in my investigation but I knew what was really going on, Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!"

"Enough! Garrus, I have a job for you, get back to the car and take my sniper rifle, cover us from the walkways, if you mess up...Well, you'd best hope you hit me and not a civilian." Vakarian gulped while Wrex gave him a malevolent wink from behind Samus. The three left at speed to avoid police interference, listening in on the assassin's communications.

"Baiaphas! I've found Jerome, oh Spirits, he's dead!"

"Keep searching! Or Saren will have our heads!" Samus smiled to herself as she had recorded all of their radio contact so far, the Council were going to choke on the amount of evidence she would stuff down their throats.

"Fist's people aren't responding, Shepard must have got to them at the med clinic." This was a Krogan's voice, great. Meanwhile, Wrex had been identified by two of the assassins who followed him down a side alley, a short scuffle later and his voice came over her encrypted channel.

"Dead and done, four more out there Shepard, watch your six."

"Roger that, ah, here we go." Two Turians and a Human, still indicated from earlier were talking in undertones, they didn't expect Shepard to know where they were or who they were, they were wrong.

"Oh, mother!" Gasped the Human as she parted the crowd and walked straight at them. All three had spent nearly thirty years in the armed services, Saren had hand picked them as his personal assassins, every bit as skilled as the men who had nearly killed Samus those eight nights ago and they were royally fucked.

Without the element of surprise and with Samus on such unbelievable form they didn't stand a chance. They attacked as one, drawing their fold out pistols, she pulled one of the Turian's to her left, then spun to her right and whipped her elbow into his throat, she could feel his Adam's apple shatter like porcelain, he fell with his gun half way out of his holster. Continuing her rotation she re-directed the gun arm of the other Turian while sweeping her back leg up to disarm the Human, his gun went off above everyone's heads, causing the throng to scatter in panic, back to back, she grappled the Turian's jaw and fringe over her shoulders, spinning him around and pulling at an angle until his neck snapped. Rebounding off a pillar she floored the third with a flying punch, then yanked him up on both knees by his hair and kneed him under the nose, the cartilage bridge piercing into his brain and killing him instantly.

"Sweet moves Shepard!" Praised Garrus over the radio.

"You're in position?"

"Yep, whoa, I can see one on the right hand of the street, near the Food Shack, he's running!"

"Keep him in your sights, he's trying to warn Fist." Samus tore after him, darting in and out of the paths of pedestrians, sprinting full out through the Wards, the assassin, a Human, fired his gun to get the masses of people out of his way, his light frame eating up the metres with every frenzied movement of his thin long legs. The spritely old hunter raced along the boulevard, vaulting and jumping over any low objects, eventually forced to wall-jump up and onto a store's veranda and bounce across that before swinging on a horizontal light fixture, a leap of about seven metres out and down, she rolled to absorb the impact, though she could have just taken it in her stride. Best not to draw unwelcome attention to her abilities.

Closer now, the Human fired wildly over his back at her, she was forced to jump in front of a pedestrian to absorb the shot and prevent collateral, she was losing ground as he changed direction. He hurled packing cases and store racks into her path, she dodged all of them and hopped over those obstacles intended to trip her; weaving between more onlookers. Samus and her quarry were running flat out towards the lower markets and Chora's Den. Putting on a burst of speed, she reached about twenty five miles an hour, closing the gap, he zoomed down the staircase, Samus took it in two bounds, he ran round the stalls, she slid straight underneath them, righting herself and butterfly kicking up and over the counter, catching the assassin with her hyper twist and sending him careening through a glass stair rail to fall and crash through the decorative patio over the shop below.

Aran lowered herself down, grabbing the edge with one hand then dropping the rest of the way. The muddled Human dragged himself clear of the debris as an Asari clerk offered to help him up. In desperation, he pistol whipped her around the chops and seized her as a hostage. "Not again!" Thought Samus furiously.

"Stay back! Stay back or I'll blow her fucking brains out!" Said the assassin in a high-pitched voice, spitting blood out of the corner of his mouth as the woman began to cry in terror, he pressed the gun into her temple to shut her up. Samus walked casually forwards, as if she didn't have a care, both hands raised in a gesture of peace. "I mean it, you don't think I'll do it? I'll kill her!" She was around four metres away, he blinked, he felt his wrist being yanked away, then break before he had opened his eyes.

"No, no you won't." Said the huntress fiercely as she crushed his carpus bones and he let out an inhuman wail, dropping his handgun, she manipulated him onto his stomach then axe stomped him in the vertebrae, severing his spinal cord while those in the immediate vicinity ran as far away as possible, including the Asari she'd just saved.

"Shepard!" It was Wrex, followed by Garrus, still wielding Aran's U-44, "Fist knows we're coming." He informed sadly.

"What, why?"

"There was another runner, he belongs to Fist's syndicate, I recognised him, couldn't take a shot either what with so many civilians around."

"Then let's not give them anymore time to prepare."

* * *

><p>Farley Mcduff had worked in Chora's Den for forty years but he'd never seen the likes of this, every bodyguard and doorman, every dancer and stripper had armed themselves with automatic weapons, pushed over tables to serve as make-shift cover in preparation for an N7 Soldier and her two cronies, a Turian C-Sec Detective and a Krogan Battlemaster to bust in and try to dismantle Fist's operation. Saren's boys had radioed in, four of them were on their way to reinforce the Den while the other three would kill the Quarian girl who could ruin everything with her damned curiosity. Mcduff checked his Firestorm and hunkered down, ready to take on any interfering heroes. After all, the club's only entrance was a perfect bottleneck, they had men above and below, anyone stupid enough to attack straight on would get blown away by half a hundred mass accelerator guns.<p>

The doors slid open and three disk grenades were thrown in, two arcing off to the side, one landing on the bar table top.

Ugly Mcduff was caught in a fireball of high-velocity shrapnel which stained him against the central platform, the Asari dancers were engulfed in a gas bomb, while the other men fell back as a thunder flash went off. Samus and Wrex began to clear the room, charging in, the Battlemaster lowered a warp field over a dozen of Fist's men, compromising their shield packs and their bodies at the sub-atomic level so that even one grain of his shredder rounds pulverized flesh and bone as if the Savage were up close. While the Krogan was all about brute force applied over a large area, Samus was about precision directed tactics, pin-point head shots with the Paralyzer, mixing hand to hand and biotic attacks; some of which Garrus tried to imitate as he sniped those towards the back, covering the two heavy-hitters as they tore the club apart.

Wrex hefted a huge circular table and brought it down on five men, flattening them, Samus did a hand-stand helicopter kick, swatting four guys with stun batons away and breaking their limbs, one fell onto a still intact section of the bar, she flipped over him while grabbing his lapels, dragging him up and over her head to smash through several glass shelves. Garrus fired a sabotage mine, overheating guns and popping them off with well-placed shots.

The Krogan bouncer managed to tackle Wrex, only for Samus to punch him in the midriff, dislocating his floating rib, then firing it through both hearts with a biotic palm heel, Wrex clobbered the dying bouncer to the ground and executed him with his shotgun.

Everyone was screaming and swearing except for the three attackers, Wrex began to retrace his steps, trampling anyone in his way, Samus created a singularity, sucking in another ten thugs and allowing Garrus to throw a grenade into their tangled midst, in return, two of the campers on the high dance floor chucked a couple down, forcing the blonde and the detective to vacate their positions before they were blown to Kingdom Come. The Battlemaster took a round to the shoulder as Garrus rolled into cover next to him.

"That son of a bitch is dug in like a Tuchankan tick!" He spat as they both got into a sheltered position, while a bodyguard with dark glasses was spraying assault rifle fire at them.

"You're bleeding Wrex," the Turian pointed out with some concern.

"I ain't got time to bleed," replied the regenerating reptile irately, as the two of them rose up and decimated their enemies with heavy fire from Garrus's Seraph and Wrex's Savage, driving the punks back until they reached the bar.

"You got time to duck!" Yelled Samus as she used Wrex's hump as a springboard, he bent his knees and tipped his head forward, then straightened up and sent the Commander flying up onto the dance floor. She grabbed onto their suppressor and tossed him clean off the platform while taking two others out with her pistol, an Asari dancer let loose with her sub-machine gun, Samus swung around one of the vertical poles and kicked her in the chest and face, she flew back and off the stage with a gurgled cry and crashed through a glass topped table. "Stick to ballroom dancing, bitch," she hissed gratifyingly.

"What did you say Shepard?" Asked Garrus.

"Stick to - ah, it doesn't matter. Is that all of them?"

"Not quite," said Wrex as he went round, checking the dead and blowing their heads away whenever they stirred.

"Now that is what I call team-work, time for Fist to meet his maker." Wrex and Garrus joined her as she jumped down; they pushed into the private rooms, two warehouse workers blocked their path.

"Don't come any closer!" One of them cried, Samus had had enough wanton-slaughter for the day.

"We just killed fifty bodyguards to get in here, what do you think the outcome is going to be if you keep on pointing those guns at me?" Wrex and Garrus put on their 'badass' looks which weren't all that different from their usual looks.

"Screw him!

"Yeah, Fist doesn't pay us enough for this!" Both men fled.

"Would have been quicker just to kill them," said a miffed Wrex.

"Shooting people isn't always the answer." Garrus responded, Samus decided to ignore his ass-kissery.

Moving through the anti-room, they reached Fist's office.

"Do I have to do everything myself? Time to die little soldiers!" Spat Fist vindictively as two automated turrets sprung open from his hollowed cabinets and he dived behind his sofa, fingers in his ears to drown out the sounds of his enemies getting perforated. It came as quite a surprise when both of the cheap models proved to be defunct, detonating with such force that they destroyed a good portion of the furniture in the room and injured Fist.

"Don't hurt me! I surrender!" Cowered the flat-topped, swarthy-faced man, whose pristine Colossus armour was now singed and tattered, Samus recollected another major douche bag who had worn similar armour. She kicked the heavy table aside effortlessly, Wrex was fondling his shotgun and Garrus was focused on the Commander's every move.

"Where's the Quarian?" She demanded coldly.

"I don't know where she is, that's the truth!" Fist cringed, shrinking back even as he lied, knowing that they would see through him straight away.

"He's lying," confirmed Wrex as he drunk in the man's fear, "let me kill him." Samus considered just hacking his terminal and leaving Wrex to deal with the crime lord, but it would be more expedient to get it out of him first.

"Garrus, put one in his leg, see if he talks." The Turian lit up at the prospect and popped a cap in Fist's knee, nearly amputating the lower leg.

"Arrggghhh! Wait! Wait!" He screamed as Garrus prepared to split his other knee cap, "I don't know _where_ she is but I know where you can_ find_ her, she said she'd only meet with the Shadow Broker himself, so I arranged a meeting."

"In person? Impossible, even _I_ was hired through an agent." Wrex warned, Fist smiled evilly through the haze of pain.

"She didn't know that, when she turns up, Saren's men will be waiting for her!" He laughed despicably, despite the pain. Samus grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up until his feet were hanging off the ground.

"Give me the location before I ram my fist into your stomach and break your goddamn spine!" Her voice seemed to ring out stronger than the peal of a two tonne church bell.

"Here," wept Fist, "the main alley in the Forese district, 700 blocks from here! I'll mark it on your holo map." He did so. She dropped him onto his knocked over divan, turned to Wrex and nodded. The Krogan brought both barrels to bear on the crime lord, who threw up his arms in what had to be the most laughable attempt at dying with dignity in the history of the Universe. The resounding boom painted Fist's bed and walls red and left nothing above his abdomen.

"What are you doing!?" Demanded Garrus angrily.

"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him." The big Krogan said as if he was explaining something to a small child. Garrus looked to Shepard for expected support, she shrugged while uploading the files from Fist's terminal, if anyone understood the value of a contract killing it was her.

"I'm not crying any tears for him, now come on lets go!" They ran back out into the main bar as four of the last seven of Saren's men arrived, two Krogan, two Turians. The skirmish was short and brutal. Garrus dived through the air while firing his Seraph, sliding on his back as he took out one of the smaller aliens, Wrex used a warp punch to cave in one of his brethren's heads, then biotically threw the other raging Krogan to Samus. She struck him over the head repeatedly with a fire extinguisher, then jammed it into his gullet and fired her handgun down into his throat, shielding herself from the splatter with a barrier considering the pressure blew his head up from the inside out.

"Spirits, Shepard!" Congratulated Garrus as the final Turian kept them pinned down with his rifle, "you didn't miss an opportunity for a quip like that did you? What about 'cool off,' or, 'I'm going to douse that flaming temper of yours.' Huh?"

"Well, I did get one earlier, that stripper, I took her down using her pole as a launch point for my kick, then I said: 'Stick to ballroom dancing, bitch."

"You're off the fucking chain!" Garrus blind-fired and by some miracle scored a direct head shot, looking at his gun in sheer amazement. The terrific trio reached Garrus's car and broke the speed limit in half as they drove for the meeting location, arriving in record time Garrus took up a sniper's perch overlooking the alley while Samus and Wrex went straight into the belly of the beast. Hiding behind some crates and a busy Keeper, the pair could see the Quarian being approached by the last three of Saren's assassins.

"So did you bring it?" Posed a skull-tattooed Turian in Silver-back armour, his Salarian compatriots holding back for now.

"Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" Asked the young woman in her exotic accent, the Turian got a little too close for comfort.

"They'll be here," he said soothingly, stroking her shoulder and arm, "where's the evidence?" She slapped his roving hand away.

"No way, the deal's off."

"Smart girl," thought Samus, "now get out of there..." The men closed in around her but the lithe Pilgrim was too quick, deploying an over clocked tech mine which bowled one of them over and disoriented the other two, she tried to get to cover but the Turian was no slouch either, grabbing her by the arm, with a shout, she tore a poniard from a sheath on her calf and stabbed him straight in the armpit, a mortal wound, if it had penetrated every layer of armour. The Turian bellowed and drew his gun but Samus saved the day, a running guillotine grapple that snapped his neck like a twig, Garrus depleted the shields of one, allowing Wrex to slaughter him. The last Salarian launched a suicidal attack on the Commander, holding a live grenade in one hand and coming at her with a high frequency knife in the other. Samus disarmed the grenade with a flourish of her omni tool to save her comrades from the blast, the knife plunged towards her. And stopped as he took a shotgun blast to the back, his arms were thrown out and he face planted onto the road.

The still steaming gun belonged to little miss Quarian, Samus gave her a nod of thanks, hopefully Garrus could have made the shot as well, but still...

"Fist set me up!" The girl's body language displaying resentment for her own inability to see the trap, she perked up as she recognised the woman who had saved her the night before. "You? You were there when -"

"Yes I was, and don't worry about Fist, he got what was coming to him."

"Then I guess that's three things I have to thank you for, who are you?"

"Aran Shepard, this is Garrus Vakarian and Urdnot Wrex, we heard you have something that can help us bring Saren down."

"I owe you I suppose, but not here, we need to go somewhere safe."

"I know just the place."

Ambassador Udina knew he'd have to deal with fallout when he'd agreed to support Shepard for Spectre candidacy, but as the four beings trooped into his office his temper was at mushroom cloud level. "You're not making my life easy, Shepard. firefights in the Wards, an all out assault on Chora's Den, do you know how many...?" He stopped dead before telling the Commander how many departments of the Citadel were phoning him, all confused and cross about the series of battles in Tayseri Ward. To see a Turian C-Sec officer, a Krogan Battlemaster, a Quarian vagrant! And at the head of them, the implacable, tall N7 Commander. "What - what," he spluttered, "what are you playing at Shepard?" How had she got those two through security and onto the Presidium?

Aran understated roguishly, "making your day Ambassador, making your day."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well guys, hope you enjoyed that, this chapter is jam packed with movie references, anyone who can name them all gets a prize!* Argh, the Citadel still isn't completely wrapped up is it? Next time, Spectre induction!**

***A cameo...**


	16. To Embark on a Wild Hunt

**A/N: We meet again! Quite a long wait I know, I've been battling through Mass Effect and am now getting into Mass Effect 2, less than a month to go people! There has also been a delay because of the many corrections in earlier chapters I've been undertaking. Hmm, well, I'll list my numerous film references in order since no-one seems to have got close to finding all of them; they are as follows:**

**(**_**Taken, Inglorious Basterds, Kill Bill Vol. 2, The Dark Knight, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Enforcer, Judge Dredd, Predator, Kung Fu Panda 1&2, Commando, The Bourne Trilogy, Kill Zone, The Running Man, Jaws and Hot Fuzz.)** _

_"Those things which I am saying now may be obscure, yet they will be made clearer in their proper place." _

_(Nicolaus Copernicus)_

**To Embark on a Wild Hunt **

Captain Anderson, Ambassador Udina, Commander Shepard and her three allies were all seated at an oval table in Donnel's office. Who had a nervous tick beating in his cheek; in spite of Aran's assurances that they were about to bring Saren down for good.

"_Did she have to bring a Krogan and a Quarian with her?"_ He thought agitatedly, out loud he addressed the vagrant with thinly veiled disgust: "Perhaps we'd best start at the beginning Miss..."

"My name is Tali, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." She said in a quiet yet firm voice.

"We don't see many Quarians here, why did you leave the Flotilla?"

"I was on my pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood." Samus decided to stop Udina's racial insinuations by getting to the heart of the matter.

"What did you find that's related to the Geth?" She asked the younger woman politely.

"For over three centuries the Geth have never traveled beyond the borders of the Veil, I was curious. I tracked one of their patrols to an uncharted world, waited for one to become separated from its unit; then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

"I thought the Geth fried their memory cores upon destruction," Anderson gave the Commander a knowing look as he recalled her detailed report on the synthetics encountered on Eden Prime, "some kind of defence mechanism?" But Miss Zorah was on hand to clarify.

"My people created the Geth, if you're quick, careful and lucky, small data caches can be restored." Everyone seemed to stiffen in anticipation as Tali continued: "The core was badly damaged, but I managed to salvage something from its audio banks."

Deftly, she spun her omni tool's outer holographic ring, tuning the audio playback: _"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit." _It was undoubtedly the harsh-sounding tone of the traitor, Saren Arterius.

"That's Saren's voice!" Exclaimed Anderson excitedly, Samus nodded in fervent agreement.

"We've got him, he can't get out of this one!" She concurred while Wrex slapped Garrus on the back heartily; the Turian shot him a reproachful glare. "But what's this Conduit he's talking about?" Ventured Samus, dire implications for whatever _it_ could be already buzzing around in her mind.

"It's obviously some kind of Prothean technology," elucidated Anderson thoughtfully, "like a weapon!"

"Wait, there's more, Saren wasn't acting alone." Continued Tali, mixing the audio file once more while Udina kept a close eye on her – making sure she didn't pocket anything while she was in here...

"_And one step closer to the return of the Reapers,"_ said a rich, female voice. Samus rubbed her forehead as she heard _that_ name, a vision of an enormous, cold metallic hand gouging furrows from the earth of an orange-bathed planetoid.

"I don't recognise that other voice, the one talking about Reapers," Udina colluded disquietly.

"I feel that I've heard that name somewhere before..." Samus placed her closed hands underneath her chin, an introspective gesture.

"According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that wiped out the Protheans," Tali projected a hologram of one of their ships from her omni tool, nearly identical to the vessel that Saren commanded. "They hunted them to total extinction and then they vanished, at least, that's what the Geth seem to believe." She finished uncertainly.

"Sounds a little far-fetched," scoffed Udina.

"No," countered Samus with conviction, "the vision from the beacon, I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers!"

"That makes sense, the Geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life and they believe that Saren can bring them back." Tali confirmed assuredly.

"The Council is just going to love this," muttered Udina sourly.

"No matter what they think of this, those audio files prove that Saren's a traitor!" Interjected Anderson strongly, Udina brightened as Samus handed him Saren's case file and Tali's recording.

"The Captain's right! I'll get this evidence sorted for the hearing, Shepard; meet us in the tower in four days, the usual time." Anderson and Udina vacated the office – Wrex looked over his shoulder at the Ambassador, an ugly look on his face.

"Bastard didn't even thank you," he rumbled.

"Until I've got Saren I haven't done anything yet," she reminded him.

"So what are we going to do with her, the Quarian?" Garrus posed with his famous lack of social tact.

"My name is Tali!" She said hotly, shoulders bunched and aggressive, the Turian was somewhat taken aback, this was going to be a dysfunctional family. "Commander!" She called, running up to the N7 Operative who had walked over to the balcony to survey the night cycle on the Presidium. "You saw what I could do in the alley Commander, please, let me come with you!"

Samus swiveled her neck and looked straight at the young Pilgrim; the misty glass couldn't obscure the obvious passion and zeal for adventure escaping through it. She was a committed one, but the ageless hunter had to make sure she knew what she was getting herself in for.

"We'll be carrying out a military operation, Tali. We won't be able to actively search for something of value that you can take back to your people." The Quarian girl was stunned that a Human knew so much about her culture but she pressed on regardless.

"The Pilgrimage proves that we are willing to give of ourselves for the greater good, what does it say about me if I turn my back on this?" She proclaimed without a hint of fear.

"This is war, girl. Not a picnic," lectured Wrex roughly, joining the conversation between the two women. "There's a storm coming, and Shepard and Saren are going to be right in the middle of it, you sure this is what you want?"

"My father was in the Migrant Fleet Marines, Krogan. I can handle myself." She asserted, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Humph," Wrex shrugged and nodded at Samus, "it's your call." The Commander deliberated for a few seconds while Tali wrung her hands in apprehension, she was smart, tech savvy and an expert on the Geth, she would definitely prove to be useful she decided.

"I'll take all the help I can get, welcome aboard Tali." She smiled as the girl gasped in excitement and bounced over to stand beside her, nearly reaching out to offer the Commander a hug before her nerve failed her and she ended up doing a kind of half skipping dance instead.

"Thanks! You won't regret this!" She said exuberantly. Wrex, Vakarian, Tali and Samus all stood in a circle, as equals under one driving force.

"We are going to track Saren to the ends of the Galaxy and bring him down," their leader vowed to them. "I will place my trust in all of you, and in return, all I ask is for you to place your trust in me."

"Of course Commander," said Garrus sincerely, Samus nodded to him.

"Commander," affirmed Tali as well, she gave a strange salute.

"Shepard," Grunted the blood-crested Krogan, placing his clenched fist over his hearts, swearing fealty.

"Wrex, all of you, let's move out."

* * *

><p>That evening, Wrex personally cooked one of the whole Varren carcasses, as it was a sacred tradition in his clan, now for his new squad mates. It was unfortunate that Tali and Garrus had to have a dextro - amino tofu substitute while Samus and Wrex tucked in with gusto.<p>

The two male aliens eventually welcomed Tali more warmly into their fold, with Wrex relating some of his more unbelievable mercenary exploits while in turn listening to Tali's stories of life on the Flotilla. Garrus received another military pep-talk from the Commander on how he could temper his more, _inattentive_ decisions with a more impartial outlook on life, he listened raptly; such was his aggrandizement of her legend.

Once everyone had finished second helpings and (Wrex and Garrus were busy doing the washing up) – Aran was discussing tech attacks with the shy Quarian. In return for enlightening her on damping fields, Samus helped Tali to install a high frequency modulator into her combat knife, with the flick of a button it could cut through ablative plates and other materials as if they were wet paper. The Alliance Defender was not often impressed but despite Tali's lack of combat experience, it was apparent that she had been very well drilled in gun play and knife fighting. She had heaps of natural talent and Samus enjoyed speaking to one of the rare individual who could understand technical jargon, bantering with her well into the night before they all retired to their separate rooms and bed.

Over the following four days, Samus introduced her new colleagues to the Normandy crew, if she knew Udina, he would most likely gift the ship to her while Anderson helped him deal with the political corollaries.

She also paid some final visits to her contacts on the Citadel, who all wished her the best of luck in the expedition to come. The huntress didn't forget her promises; giving Emily the files on Fist's syndicate for her story and elevating the woman's prospects significantly for the future; Samus even promised her an interview when the mission was done.

Ashley met the husband of one of her deceased squad mates from Eden Prime, Samesh Bhatia, who was distraught that his wife's body was being kept by Alliance reps for research on Geth plasma weaponry. Samus, who had always possessed the height of contempt for this particular brand of experimentation, (she had never ran tests on live or dead tissue that wasn't her own), bullied Clerk Bosker, the diplomat in charge of Samesh's case, into releasing Nirali's form, Ashley's regard for the Commander grew.

* * *

><p>Eventually, the eventful day of May 4th 2183 arrived. Aran, Udina and Anderson, all in their finest formal wear stood on the petitioner's stage, with the Council reading through the hefty amounts of evidence regarding Saren's guilt. Tali came forward and replayed the audio file to all who were assembled, a voice check confirmed the validity of their article, a 99.7% correlation.<p>

"You wanted proof? There it is!" Proclaimed Udina, pointing accusingly at them.

Sparatus spoke first, a surprising hint of regret in his otherwise impassive voice: "This evidence is irrefutable Ambassador, Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"I think I know that other voice, the one speaking with Saren," posited Councillor Tevos in some discomfort, "Matriarch Benezia."

"Apart from being another renegade who's working with the Geth, who is she?" Queried Samus with some annoyance; too tactful to rub the fact in their faces that now _two_ of the most respectable members of the Council races were involved in this mess.

"A spiritual leader among my people, Benezia is a powerful biotic and she has many followers, she will make a formidable ally for Saren."

"I'm more interested in the Reapers myself, what do you know about them?" The Salarian Councillor put forward.

"Only what was recovered from the Geth's memory core," answered Anderson. "They were an ancient race of machines who wiped out the Protheans," he looked to the Commander to back him up.

"The Geth believe the Reapers to be gods and Saren is the prophet for _their_ return," she added strongly, having furnished the Council with a detailed report of her vision.

"We believe the Conduit is the key; Saren is searching for it, that's why he attacked Eden Prime," finished the Captain.

"Do we even know what this Conduit actually is?" Replied Valern with some skepticism behind his innocently enough, posed question.

"Saren believes it can bring the Reapers back, that's worth the cost of starting interstellar war." Justified Samus, regretting now how she had made Arterius out to be a madman, he was many things but he was not stupid; would the Council be willing to stretch their belief that far? Sparatus certainly wasn't.

"Listen to what you're saying! Saren wants to bring back the beings that destroyed all sapient life in the Galaxy? Impossible! It has to be! Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence! If they were real we would have found something!"

"More the reason for us to find out Saren's ultimate goal, I tried to warn you about his betrayal and you didn't believe me then; don't make the same mistake twice." Retorted Samus angrily.

"This is different," Tevos reminded her calmly, "we know that Saren is searching for the Conduit but we don't really know why."

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth Commander," added the Salarian Councillor, reverting back on his prior interest: "a convenient lie to cover Saren's true purposes, a fabrication used to blind us all from his real agenda and bend the Geth to his will."

The Guardian's patience had reached its breaking point: "Fifty thousand years ago the Reapers wiped out all organic life, if Saren finds the Conduit it will happen again!"

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life!" Spat back Sparatus with equal hostility, "he no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre; the Council has stripped him of his position!" Samus didn't bother to point out that the Council couldn't just _remove_ thirty years of Terminus contacts, his new Geth army and every other advantage he held, all they could do was confiscate his credentials, Udina was quick to capitalise on this.

"That is not good enough! You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse, SEND YOUR FLEET IN!"

"A fleet...cannot track down_ one_ man," Valern explained fairly. Udina shook his head at their short-sightedness as well as in his own disgust.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region, keep the Geth from attacking any more of our colonies!" He emphasised every word with waves of his hand, a trait so characteristic in the career politician.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems!" Rejoined Sparatus, "we won't be dragged into a Galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!" Samus smiled inwardly, she had them by the balls now.

"I can take Saren down," She told them boldly.

"The Commander is right, there is a way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies." Confirmed Tevos gladly, a sentiment not shared by Sparatus.

"No, its too soon! Humanity is not ready for the responsibility that comes with joining the Spectres!"

"You don't have to send a fleet and the Ambassador gets his Human Spectre, everyone's happy," Samus reasoned, knowing for certain who wouldn't be happy at the end of the day. The Council broke off for a private conference while the three Humans waited in the foyer for a decision to be made. As they sat in silence, Samus began to notice diplomats coming into the chambers and congregating on the upper balconies and along the mezzanine, there were also camera crews and Parliamentarians from every other Embassy, Humans made up around a quarter of those assembled.

Anderson gave her a firm nod, the time had come. He was glad to have lived to see this day even if he had scuppered his own chances. An honour guard of Salarian, Asari and Turian Council soldiers escorted them back to the stage, now with a full audience surveying this historical moment.

"Commander Shepard, step forward," announced Tevos solemnly. The whispers and chattering intensified as Samus started down the long walk across the extending bridge of the stage, across the glass-ceilinged rock garden towards the Councillors; she strode upright and tall as a representative of the Human race. Above, many eyes watched her, including Miranda Lawson, a high ranking officer in the Alliance military-industrial complex and an undercover Cerberus Operative. It was to be the first step of many for the ascension of Humanity and towards the eventual destruction of Hades dog, once and for all.

Samus halted just in front of the Councillors and placed her hands behind her back in an 'at ease' posture, everyone began to quiet down, leaning forward expectantly or craning their heads over the crowd to get a better look; cameras began rolling.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the extra-judicial rights and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Tevos proclaimed, causing many audience members to gasp out loud.

"Spectres are not trained," added the Salarian Councillor, "but chosen. Individuals forged in the fires of battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." The crowds were really becoming excited now, this was history in the making!

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol," continued Tevos solemnly, "the embodiment of courage, determination and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will."

"Spectres bear a great burden," reminded Sparatus sternly, "they are protectors of Galactic peace, both our first and last line of defence. The safety of the Galaxy is there's to uphold." And with that, they all tapped their consoles in unison, transmitting Spectre credentials to the Chozo-Human hybrid's omni tool, a flash of white light illuminated the Spectre symbol on her forearm, white wings resting on a horizontal white hoop on a navy blue background. There was a moment's silence, then Samus thrust her fist into the air for all to see, the chambers erupted into applause and unending, cheering ovation, it had taken over a thousand years but the member of a new client race had become a Spectre!

"You are the first Human Spectre Commander, this is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." The races were still clapping thunderously as Samus lowered her arm and saluted them with the gesture of the legion.

"What's my first mission?" She projected for all to hear, earning prolonged applause.

"We're sending you into the Traverse after Saren," the Salarian Councillor said, "he is a fugitive from justice so you are authorized to use any means to apprehend or eliminate him." Many of the spectators were visibly shocked at this revelation.

"I'll find him," she swore to all those there and who had suffered from the war crimes of Saren Arterius.

"This meeting of the Council is adjourned." Concluded Tevos tiredly but no-one was listening as the cheers continued and Samus was swept back by the approving roars of Humanity, most of the client races and even some of the Citadel races.

"Congratulations Commander," Anderson shook her hand warmly, as did Garrus, Tali and Wrex as they went down the multiple staircases.

"We've got a lot of work to do Shepard, you're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies."

"I think I've got those first two sorted Udina," she indicated around at her colleagues.

* * *

><p>The following day passed in a whirlwind of activity, the Normandy SR-1 was turned over to Samus as her mobile base of operations, Tali and Garrus settled in as part of the engineering and technician departments while Wrex helped Ashley as her gunnery officer partner in maintaining the small-arms weaponry.<p>

As a Spectre, Samus was subjected to a vast amount of publicity before managing to escape on board with a select supply of requisitions only available to the Council's elite agents and three mission files from Udina, Therum, Feros and Noveria, they were all connected to Saren's activities in the Traverse and all had reported Geth sightings; she intended to tear down his operation man by man until the Turian drowned in the blood of her victims.

"Hope you're ready for this Commander," said Jeff, unusually morose as she flanked his pilot's chair, "I heard about Captain Anderson, survives a hundred battles then gets taken down by backroom politics, just watch your back Ma'am, this mission goes south, your head will be next on the chopping block."

That same sense of inherent certainty and feelings of justice infused her will: "Don't worry Joker, Saren's out there somewhere and we're going to find him."

"Everyone's behind you on this ship one hundred percent. The intercom's open, if you want to talk to the crew, now's the time."

She paused for a second as she unbuttoned her damn blazer, not being strictly Alliance military anymore, then opened the ship wide channel: "Attention all hands, this is your Commander speaking, we have our orders, find Saren before he finds the Conduit, and I refuse to let anything stand in the way of that objective. This began as an act of war on a Human colony but Saren's forces won't be content to hide forever, they will fight for conquest and domination and we will stop at nothing, _we will fight for the lost_. All will know that members of every race stood against a renegade and his army, hunted them to the ends of this Galaxy and brought him down! We need to do this, not just for ourselves but for us all, for true peace in space." She closed the channel, not wishing to add something awkward like 'That is all.'

Joker sat there, stunned, then said humbly: "Well said Commander, the Captain would be proud."

"Fancy speeches aren't going to stop Saren, if we really want to make the Captain proud you'd best get this bird in the air."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Samus walked back along the CIC walkway as the crew turned to survey their indomitable leader, applause started to rise, many stood up. Ashley, Garrus and Wrex were all next to the Galaxy Map, grinning broadly at the speech's boost on morale. Navigator Pressly saluted the Commander proudly as did Vakarian, Williams and the old Battle Master. Samus had never believed that one day she would lead a group as well as fight solo, the Universe was certainly not without irony, she saluted them in return, no words were needed, they all went to their posts as the Normandy prepared for take off.

The Serpent Nebula crackled with the awesome battles to come as the silver, black and red dart that was the SSV Normandy took flight into the cosmos, blue-shifting light enveloping the hull as the directional thrusters hissed with chemical fire, propelling the beautiful ship beyond the arms of the Citadel and into the unknown.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes I know you've probably heard it quite a few times, but it is necessary exposition! Next time we'll have plenty of character interaction! Plus the hostage crisis on Asteroid X-57! And the return of Balak Fu'khed (See what I did there?) and Elanos Haliat! (Now you all know why the bastard is so ugly, a Batarian with extensive plastic surgery!) God I am so hyped for Mass Effect 3! But I've taken a vow of not watching any trailers or related media, what about you guys? Sound off in the comments if you so desire, and I'll see you next time! **


	17. The Agony of Morality

**A/N: I've finished Mass Effect 2! Everything is set to go for my ultimate ending and so is this! Don't think I'll ever discontinue this story, for me, _this is Mass Effect_. Did you know that the expedition through the Omega 4 relay has a mirror image shot of the incursion into the Mu relay? Now on with our tale!**

_"I think it allows you really feel like it's your own personal journey as Shepard so you can play it as a third person view of this character, you're taking on this role that's pre-made, or you can take on a role that really feels like it's your character and you assemble them from scratch and I think to allow that for players is the best of both worlds." _

_(Ray Muzyka) _

**The Agony of Morality **

The mission had begun, the Normandy SR-1 hurtled through a weightless and timeless corridor of mass effect energy before snapping into existence in the local cluster. Joker took his baby in for refueling while on board, everyone went about their business.

Garrus was calibrating the M35 Mako's suspension to his heart's content, Tali was taking a great amount of joy in supervising the maintenance of the advanced Tantalus drive core and Urdnot Wrex was busy sleeping upright, leaning against a big pile of crates without a care in the world.

Two levels above the Krogan's sleeping quarters; the same could not be said for Samus Aran, who was already being badgered by Udina from the communications room. She stood on the holographic panel, listening to the old wind bag spout his _useful_ intelligence from the other end of the projection.

"We've caught a break Shepard, the Matriarch appears to have a daughter, her name is Liara, Doctor Liara T'Soni," the huntress perked up at this bit of news.

"The noted archaeologist?" She wondered aloud, having read much of her work on Prothean culture.

"Yes the very same, she may have a connection to Saren, reports from several Alliance spy drones report a large Geth contingent at her dig site on Therum in the Artemis Tau cluster. Maybe they think the ruins there contain something relating to the Conduit?"

"It's definitely worth a shot, the Knossos system is nearby, we'll be there within a couple of days, thank you Ambassador." But Udina didn't move to terminate the call.

"Remember Commander, your actions reflect on Humanity as a whole, don't cause too much trouble or I'll have to clean up your mess!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop Saren barring the loss of innocent life Udina; don't expect this to be a clean ride, it's your _job_ to deal with the political fallout." The Ambassador scowled at her in frustration, how was he supposed to oversee an agent with unlimited power?

"Not _exactly _the answer I was hoping for Shepard, if you recall, you were a Human long before you were a Spectre, so don't get any funny ideas abo –"

"Aw, looks like we've lost the signal Joker," said Aran in mock surprise as she terminated the connection to the Comm. Buoy causing the pilot to guffaw mirthfully.

"Connection _cut _Commander!" Samus vacated the briefing area, returning the salutes from Jamie and Russell, who flanked the door, she smiled at their perseverance in maintaining their posts, then told them to get some bunk time as she went to check in on the armoury.

Exiting the garage elevator, Samus saw Wrex snoring away to the left, with Ashley shooting daggers at him as she polished the ship's rifles at the main workbench.

"So Commander," started Ash as Shepard came over to see her work, "you're a Spectre now, feel any different?"

"Not really, the law never was much of an impediment to me; I'm going to miss circumventing it!"

"Well don't let it get to your head Skipper, I doubt that the Geth will care if you're a Spectre or not."

"No, but every scumbag pirate and mercenary will soon enough," she drew out a secure metallic case with a Spectre symbol emblazoned on it, placed it on the work surface and entered the ten-digit code. It hissed open, revealing six HMW prototype weapons, manufactured exactly to her specifications, the black chrome titanium coated parts shone with that brand new finishing touch, and they oozed lethality in visible waves.

"Dayum!" Breathed Ashley as she beheld the guns that only Spectre's were allowed to have access to, Samus took up a Mk. X pistol from the attachés molded grooves, the frame was identical to Saren's handgun except for a heavier barrel and a single bronze stripe across the side where his was a blood red.

Wrex awoke and plodded over as Samus configured her assault and sniper rifles, as well as her shotgun and pistol with her omni tool, two, bulkier models she had left off to the side.

"Nice ship you've got here Shepard makes sense the weapons would be of a similar quality." He complimented as she finished upgrading the accelerator modules.

"From a Battlemaster that's praise indeed, those two are for you by the way Wrex," she indicated the larger black pistol and thick but short, (almost to the point of being a sawn-off), black shotgun. The Battle Master tested the smaller shotgun's weight then pressed a button on the side that wasn't the safety; a chain blade deployed from underneath its housing, powered by a typically small hydro-crank generator.

"Sweet..." he voiced his endorsement of the gun as he rolled it between his mammoth hands. Samus spun the pistol around her index finger and then to the side, holding the top side of the barrel while offering the grip out to him, he accepted the weapon and gave it a once over, pleased to find another high-frequency flick blade attachment for those messy, pistol whipping melee kills.

"You sure can pick em' Commander," grinned the weathered Krogan as he took the weapons over to his _den_.

Samus bade Ashley farewell as she put her new guns away and began to leave surprises in the rest of her team's lockers: Her own U-44 Volkov for Garrus, an Armali Council branded, Nexus omni tool for Tali and top of the line replacements for Ash and Kaiden's Phoenix and Onyx body armours respectively.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the young Quarian talking to Wrex, who seemed to be feigning disinterest as he yawned pointedly or tapped his sledge-sized feet against the garage's hard metallic floor, she strained to hear while pretending to customize her recently acquired Crisis armour from the Spectre requisitions officer.

"You're not like other Krogan I've heard about Wrex, all the tales on the Flotilla paint you as, well...brutes."

"Hah! We're both used to discrimination Tali, your people are seen as beggars and thieves while mine are little better than cannon fodder or guns for hire. At least you have an excuse for being raw at your age, however, that _Turian_ over there never fails to surprise me with his naivety. HEY GARRUS!"

Garrus jumped in shock, banging his fringe on the underside of the Mako, "Son of a – what is it Wrex?" He growled while rubbing the sore spot on his head.

"It must be hard for you eh; knowing that the one responsible for all this death and destruction on Eden Prime is a _Turian_ Spectre." Garrus looked livid as he marched over, berating Wrex harshly while Tali vacated what was soon to become a war zone, Samus decided to see how long it could last until she had to intervene.

"For your information Wrex, Saren is either a traitor or a madman, taking him down will restore the good name of Turians everywhere!" Wrex took a lazy, laid-back stance and held up his hands, seemingly apologetic.

"Well I'm glad to hear it. I was losing sleep over the prospect of people not loving the Turians."

Garrus's temper was being frayed extremely thin as he faced the surly old Krogan, "well I'm surprised you're willing to kill your own Wrex, aren't the Krogan a few generations away from extinction?"

The smile on Wrex's face disappeared in a flash and his tone became much lower and more threatening, he didn't need to shout to put his point across or to appear terrifying: "You just don't get it do you, for all your kind's talk of _honour_ and _pride_ – the Turians never had to test their principles in a real struggle!"

"Touched a nerve have I? You've got no-one to blame but yourselves for how the Galaxy perceives the Krogan, Wrex. The Genophage was the right call in the Rebellions!"

"Really? Then maybe it was right for us to drop orbital stations on your colonies; to stop you from wiping out our kind."

"That's it Wrex, I've had it up to here with your damned historical prejudice!"

"Strong words Turian," Wrex got in his face and raised a fist the size of Garrus's armoured pauldron, "care to back them up with actions?"

Two biotic lift fields separated the aliens as they were just about to come to blows, Samus glared at both men as they squirmed helplessly a few feet off the ground, Garrus seemed especially discomfited.

"Break it up, both of you, Garrus, don't make aspersions on a race as a whole, we've been talking about absolutism remember?" Garrus nodded shame-facedly. "And Wrex, I thought you'd be past goading others into fights at your age, not to mention villainizing an individual for war crimes committed over a thousand years ago."

They remained silent as Samus lowered them both down slowly and relinquished her biotic hold, Garrus gave Wrex a strange look then wondered back over to the Mako, the Battle Master peered at Samus curiously.

"So you think the Genophage was a war crime Shepard?"

She sighed sadly before speaking, "it's the most common raison d'être in our lives Wrex, if one can't procreate then you can't pass on your genes to the next generation, you feel_, incomplete_."

"You act as if this is a personal factor."

"You're a very insightful man Wrex, yes, like so many of your females I too am infertile, so you could say I possess perspective some lack."

"I didn't know," he crossed his arms uncomfortably while Samus walked a few feet away, hands on hips before turning around and posing a question in return:

"What's your story Wrex?"

"There's no story Shepard, go ask the Quarian if you want stories, she was talking my inner-ears off earlier."

"Don't be an ass, you Krogan live for centuries; you must have had some interesting adventures in all that time." She persisted, unsure whether to reveal some of her own past experiences. They were both ancient warriors after all.

The scarred Krogan exhaled wearily, Samus shared the sentiment, we do what we must, but she was too damn old for this.

"Well, there was this time the Turians tried to wipe out our _entire_ species – that was _fun_." Samus scowled, Wrex began to take the heart-to-heart seriously. "I - I gave up on the Krogan a long time ago, we're too spread out, none of us are concerned with staying in our own system," he gesticulated angrily as he spoke.

"Why would this be a problem?" Samus replied somewhat tetchily. "Many species leave their home worlds and have flourished as a result."

"Yes but they go to colonise new worlds," explained Wrex impatiently, "we're not settlers, _we're warriors_, we _want _to fight," he now continued in a sadder vein. "It's just who we are Shepard, I can't change that, no-one can."

"And yet you seem so concerned about it, or maybe I'm wrong, maybe that whole 'injustice against your people' thing with Garrus was just an act."

"Listen Shepard, the last city-slickers who dared try reverse-psychology on me are pushing up daisies!"

"They're dead?" She said innocently.

"No, they work in florists, of course they're dead!" Burst out Wrex sardonically.

"A threat huh? I didn't think you'd fancy a re-match so soon."

"Bah, I'll take you up on that offer one of these days Shepard; you surprised me last time and I don't think I've got the exact measure of you as a warrior, yet."

She laughed good naturedly, "sure...don't stay cooped down here all the time Wrex, speaking as one whose spent a lot of her own life alone; it's not good for you."

"I'll keep that in mind, see yah Shepard."

"So long Wrex."

Samus retreated to her office to fill out forms on the crew compliment and quarters for Garrus and Tali, including clean room facilities for the latter. Wrex had said he was fine in the wide-open area of the garage, Krogan territorial instincts and all. There was a lot of work to do, especially forming the basis of her reports to the Councillors, the one bit of oversight a Spectre was subjected to, other than that the Spectres received no monetary help from the Council, 'self-reliant' operatives, right. It just meant the Councillors had the finest intelligence agents in the Galaxy under their thumb, in return for said individual's diplomatic immunity.

It would take until late afternoon for the Normandy to reach the Asgard System and take the twin jumps from the Hades Gamma Cluster to Artemis Tau, for Samus, she had still not gotten used to the unbearable slowness and lethargy of FTL space travel, even after nearly a decade of using the primitive spacecraft.

The warp drive of the Nova Corvette had allowed her to explore all quadrants of the Universe. From Hoag and Andromeda to NGC 5866 and M82 and beyond that to the rogue regions of the Tetra and Ida Galaxies and back again; the wonders of the endless void, kept alive by particles of infinite complexity and potential for life, the Reapers, _all_ races paled in comparison to this miracle.

Lost in her thoughts, she relived the Prothean vision, despite her best efforts to interpret the message; it was obvious that the memories were lost in translation, coupled with gaps in the beacon's millennial old hardware. Perhaps Dr. T'Soni could shed light on this concern, considering she had dedicated her entire life to Prothean archaeology.

Lunch was a lively affair, the two dextro squad mates thanking her for the excellent cuisine while Wrex ate enough bacon for five large men. Then claimed he'd eat the next person who served such thin slices. Joker and Chakwas joined them, chatting animatedly over what adventures they would encounter; upon returning to the CIC, Samus was notified of an SOS signal by Pressly, who relayed the message back to her.

"_This is Engineer Kate Bowman_ _of mining asteroid X-57 orbiting Terra Nova, extremists have hijacked our facilities and are activating the fusion torches – they want to crash the meteor into the planet's surface! We're going to die! Please if anyone can hear this, send help, they haven't found us yet_, _but I don't know how long we can stay hidden I – czzcz czz cz czczzzzz..."_ The playback dissolved into ambient radio static.

The Commander of the Normandy gave a swift nod to Pressly, mutely ordering him to divert their course, they were the closest ship in the vicinity of the terrorist attack; and it certainly sounded serious enough to warrant a Spectre's attention.

"Garrus, Wrex, Alenko, suit up and wait for me in the cargo hold, I'll be down to brief you in five minutes," she told them over the intercom.

By the Mako, Garrus configured his Volkov and Seraphim before slapping them onto magnetic strips on his modified blue and black Agent hard suit, next to him, Kaiden finished synching his Prodigy Amp and threw Garrus a standard issue G-922 carbine. In contrast to the other two, Wrex's huge armoured frame was bristling with weaponry: Not only did he have his old Savage shotgun and the two Spectre Advanced Gear fire-arms, but also a two-man M-590 Macana battle rifle, along with an ancient high frequency large bladed knife that resembled a Kujang in a hidden compartment on his forearm _and _a gruesome-looking bolt thrower attached to the other arm. At the moment he was trying to strap some grenades to his already over-laden plates of Mercenary ablative weave.

The older guns were bronzed with rust and had a maroon stripe along the barrels, signifying his clan allegiances. Kaiden and Garrus sealed their helmets, all of them knew the only reason they were meeting here was because of an orbital drop in the Mako. A rumbling sound caused them to turn as the service elevator came down and slid open to reveal Shepard in her new Crisis body armour. It was a lighter model than her Onyx set, with more moveable plates coloured a violent orange, some with black, radar-reflecting war stripes. Gold-glowing shield-emitters and a dark red, snug under-layer completed her protection, it was fused with energized mass effect micro cores and other firewall technology like pressurised seals and a kinetic exoskeleton for improved mobility.

To finish off the imposing image she cut, she wore a customised orange-grey helmet, similar to her N7 variant but with a V-shaped visor of darkest jet plasti-steel instead of the customary clear drop-down ones, the angles were so sharp it looked like a bird of prey with outstretched wings. Promising to friends liberation and life and to her enemies; destruction and death.

She bore all of her Master Class Mk.X HMW weapons: Sniper rifle, assault weapon, hand cannon and scatter gun. They had green LED's in lieu of the usual blue, standing out from the crowd. Rounding off, Samus carried six conventional grenades on her right hip, coupled with the modern dispenser containing ten disc grenades on the small of her back finished off with four universal lithium 'drop' thermal clips on her right bicep; she rivaled Wrex for the most prodigious arsenal.

"Listen up guys, we've got radicals on asteroid X-57, they've taken hostages so I want discretion. However, they seem to be plotting the ecocide of Terra Nova so don't hesitate to take these guys down; no prisoners."

There was a chorus of "Aye ayes, Commander!" Wrex activated his own pitted and dented helmet, which slid over his crest and face from its housing on his hump, Samus synched her omni tool and retinal HUD with her allies then they all clambered into the Mako. Other members of the crew vacated the garage area in preparation for the drop, the Commander took the wheel, Wrex took up a back row seat while Kaiden sat on the passenger side and Garrus manned the gunner's chair. Everyone strapped themselves in.

"Commander," came Joker's distinctive voice over her helmet radio, "we've got a visual on Terra Nova and the target, but..."

"What is it?"

"Well, see for yourself" Joker beamed a holographic video feed to the Mako's dashboard as Samus turned on the engine and rolled the heavy vehicle onto the exfiltration channel. Earth's first extra-solar colony shone like an emerald and sapphire jewel against the backdrop of space, a gargantuan carbonaceous boulder blotted the upper hemisphere, already aglow with orange light as it began to be pulled into the stratosphere.

"ETA till impact?" She asked.

"A couple of hours, you need to get those torches shut down Commander, oh and uh, some of Terra Nova's military officials want to talk to you, we're not running silent so they picked us up from the planet below, they're on the horn now."

"Patch them through Joker," she ordered as she activated all systems on the Mako and leaned back to make sure Garrus was settled in, he gave the a-okay signal and she gave a thumbs up in return.

_"SSV Normandy, this is Major Patterson of Alliance colonial logistics based at the capital city of Scott, do you require assistance with the assault?"_

"Negative Major, your people will just get in the way, don't bother with evacuation either, if we fail it will already be too late to stop that thing."

_"Who am I speaking to ma'am, if I may ask?"_

"I'm Commander Aran Shepard of the Special Tactics and Recon Major, you're in safe hands," Samus cut off the feed and set the Mako into first gear.

"Ten seconds till the drop Commander," informed Joker, all sarkiness forgotten. Normandy's hangar door rumbled open, solar wind whipped through the cargo bay, Samus put her foot down and the rover accelerated forward, shooting out from the vessel's underbelly and plummeting towards the asteroid's surface.

Four chemical jet boosters flared into life, slowing the partially-contragravitonic tank to a reasonable velocity as it hurtled downwards for two hundred metres, its occupants were pushed into their seats by the intense gravity even though they were cushioned by minor mass effect fields. The M35 landed in a deep-wide gulley after an exhilarating but short descent and immediately trundled towards the first objective on the VI's pathfinder.

The large fabricated building seemed to protrude from the very rock face as they sped across an empty plain, Garrus rotated the co-axial turret, vigilant for enemy rovers or ships, Wrex was whetting his dagger against the scuffed leather rerebrace of his combat suit, Kaiden flexed his arms experimentally, recalling pneumonics in his mind. Samus checked the sonar and thermal mapping, all life-signs originated from inside, it was too risky to just bombard the sealed house and she was chary of damaging the important operation here, Humanity could not afford many set-backs in the Traverse even this close to Sol and home.

Parking outside, the four swung out of the rover and continued on foot, Samus was on-point, with Garrus and Wrex flanking and Kaiden acting as the rear-guard. Stopping by the main doors, she signaled for the team to halt while she performed some penetrating scans. The terrorists were humanoids with bulbous heads and stocky forms, they had Varren war beasts tearing into a deceased engineer and feasting on his flesh: Samus tapped her visor with her pinky and index fingers twice for her companion's benefit, four eyes. Batarians.

Rak'Jho Yoraba laughed sadistically as his pet mutilated the Human's body, he and his five friends didn't hear the vacuum sealed doors depressurize to allow access, or the chime of the hacked door panel as its indicator light switched on. All six were caught with their pants down as Samus hurled a flash bang into the room once the door slid open, the searing blast incapacitated the fish dogs completely and the Batarians clutched their faces in eye-watering agony as the four commandos cleared the area with pin-point bursts of assault rifle fire.

Yoraba screamed pitifully as he joined his victim in the growing meat pile, harpoon rounds deforming his internal organs into red, frothy mash as he splashed onto the crimson oil slick pooling out across the newly blood-stained floor.

Working their way through the fusion torch power plant, they spread out and pinned down more of the Batarians, who evidently hadn't expected armed resistance so soon, if any at all. Things got ugly, fast, close quarters combat in the cramped refinery corridors and narrow spaces between the industrial machinery. But they were mere roughhouses, not conditioned soldiers, three of whom were formidable biotics; and by the time the first plant was purged, Wrex was covered in gore from head to foot. Picking flesh from his dagger's hooked blade with his teeth.

Garrus shook his head at the Krogan's brutality, some of his revulsion was only mitigated by the fact that Samus had spilt just as much blood, vividly he recalled when she had levitated one into the air then ripped him in half at the waist with opposing pull fields.

Reaching the main generator at the back of the complex, Samus ordered Kaiden forward to hack the door and for Wrex to lead the next clearing operation. He charged in with his more compact shotgun, firing into corners as Garrus and Samus did the same with rifles.

"Dead and done." Affirmed Wrex as Samus made sure there were no more life signs, then she advanced on the generator and within a few seconds the complex engine was shut down and its systems locked out for forty eight hours, the thunder of the massive guidance rocket tapered out, then winded down to a halt.

As her allies guarded the doorway, the huntress tapped into the asteroid's communications tower, Kate's voice came over the channel again.

_"Well done, that's the first of three, I can hear their leader trying to contact the outpost you're in, me and my brother, we - crap, I've gotta go." _

"That woman is going to get herself killed if she's not careful," admonished Kaiden, "no survivors here Commander, seems all the hostages are in the main facility, I don't think those Varren wait until their victims are dead though."

"They'll eat anything Alenko," Wrex said sagely, "like us Krogan."

"Quickly, we've still got two more torches to deal with," Reminded the Commander as they filed towards the exit, only for a middle-aged, grey-bearded Human engineer in a basic hard suit to leap around the corner and fire a pistol right into Samus's chest. The round blazed off her barrier-hard shields and the man dropped the gun as if it had burned him, horrified at the near deadly extent of his mistake.

"Oh God! I didn't mean to, are you hurt?" He asked frantically as Garrus, Wrex and Kaiden lowered their own weapons warily, Samus held up a hand placatingly.

"Takes more than one shot to bring me down, Commander Shepard of the Alliance frigate Normandy, inductee of the Council Spectres who are you?" The man looked flabbergasted as he realised he was meeting the woman whose name had been shouted over every Human news channel for the past few days. Then the more immediate unlikely event that was happening that day took precedence.

"Atwell, Simon Atwell, I'm the Chief Engineer on this rock. Listen, we don't have much time, there are four million people down there Shepard. My family - they live in Aronas, my kids and grand kids. Its a nice community, good schools..." He trailed off in increasing despair.

"I'm aware of the cataclysmic nature of this situation Mr. Atwell, I've prevented this sort of thing before believe it or not. The terrorists have to be neutralized, any Intel you could give me would be greatly appreciated."

"Right, well, you should know that we were set up to excavate a good portion of the asteroid with thermal hydride blasting caps. Its practically a mine field surrounding the second torch, that tank of yours will set them off so you'll have to go in on foot. Even then if you get too close they'll go off regardless, be careful."

"Noted, can they be disabled remotely?"

"I'm afraid not, the termination controls are within the blast zone, right outside the building."

"That's just great," deadpanned Wrex, "should we requisition a space cow to walk in ahead of us?"

"Don't be rude Wrex, Atwell's just trying to help, I suggest you find somewhere to hide in case those Batarians come back."

"Yeah, I should make myself scarce. Oh, the main facility, I had a team working there, they're probably all dead but -"

"One of them is still alive," she said hopefully, "Kate Bowman, she's been contacting us since we landed, it was her SOS we intercepted in the first place."

"Katie's alive? She's one of my best people, I hope she doesn't do anything stupid."

"Alright enough talk," Samus ended the exchange abruptly, keenly aware of the time that was slipping away, "I'm going to go punch this mountain into space."

* * *

><p>The three man, one woman team all peeked over the rise overlooking the blasting cap zone, there were sentries all over the front of the facility, ready for anyone foolish enough to cross. Samus gestured for Garrus and herself to give covering fire with their sniper rifles while Kaiden traced a path for him and their Krogan Battlemaster to rush the Batarian guards.<p>

Balancing their weapons on the shallow ridge, Samus ordered Wrex and Kaiden forward, then lined down the telescopic sight at two targets, one walked behind the other, she squeezed off a single round from half a kilometre away. The disruptor encased pellet easily broke through both their kinetic barriers, it blew out one's helmet (and a good deal of grey matter) into the air, then passed clean through his brain in the low gravity environment and sliced into the second terrorist's sealed throat, trailing precious oxygen out as white mist; he rolled on the ground, feebly trying to patch the break as his life slipped away.

Garrus scored two head shots and kept the last two suppressed as Kaiden and Wrex made it half way across the tundra, Samus watched him work, then lazily sent another shot through a crate one was using for cover and struck him in the heart. There was no sound of the shots in space and the pulped flesh floated eerily in the frigid air; their two squad mates reached the entrance, there was a flare of blue, followed by:

"I think we got 'em Commander," from the Lieutenant. The hunter and the former detective vented the heat from their NEM graphene sinks with the bolt action cryo-coolant function, another of Samus's little inventions, while Kaiden disabled the blasting caps.

Once more the team executed an advanced clearing operation when they reached the building, this time there was heavy resistance, the terrorists had had time to set up rocket drones but with three technicians in the squad, they were reduced to scrap metal through sabotage protocols, Wrex barreled through a door at the back, sending it crashing off its hinges, two Batarians fumbled for their guns.

"Knock knock," he growled as he smeared one against the wall with a concussive shot from his Savage, shattering his ribcage, then turned and decapitated the other with a close spread of grains. Garrus scored a hit on a running foe along one of the upper catwalks, Kaiden controlled four more in a gravitonic lift field, allowing Samus to charge up a bolt of biotc energy ala her beam cannon of old and detonate them into organic gloop.

With that, another torch was disabled and Kate decided to call them again: _"Be careful you've really pissed them off, they're planting explosives around the offices I think -" _

_"Hey! Get away from there!"_ Cried the guttural voice of a Batarian on the other end of the line, there were sounds of a scuffle then heavy breathing on the receiver.

_"Who are you." _Scraped the harsh tone, Samus considered just hanging up but then decided to make their leader sweat a little.

"Your worst nightmare," she replied in a deadly whisper, "if you let them go now you can expect some amnesty from me in spite of the crimes you've committed here. If you don't, I will hunt you, I will find you...And I will _kill_ you."

There was a short pause, then a sick-sounding giggle, _"good luck, Human."_ The call ended.

* * *

><p>Balak Fuk'hed, Major Domo of Elanos Haliat spun on his own second in command, a reputed slaver called Charn after executing the meddlesome woman's brother.<p>

"Find this problem and deal with it, have the men prep my ship and ready some of the Grizzly's outside the main facility, there's only one team out there for fuck's sake!"

The single team in question had already begun to breach the third and final fusion plant, it was not even a fair fight, Samus's team was simply better equipped, better trained and better led. Garrus pinned down several with his G-922, Samus tossed a frag grenade over their cover and blew them into the roof, Wrex locked up around ten all by himself, splattering them across the room with Macana fire and biotics, he seized the last one by the collar, then proceeded to squeeze his head between both hands, the Batarian shrieked as his cranial bones squealed from the pressure the Battlemaster was applying before a fierce crack echoed through the room.

Kaiden, Garrus and the Commander mopped up the rest in no time, all of them had encountered and dealt with scum like this before. What did come as a surprise was what happened after they had brought the last torch offline. Another twenty strong group was waiting for them but their leader yelled quickly:

"Stop! This doesn't have to end in violence!" Samus sent her men to flank them while she stepped out into the open.

"Really? What do you suggest considering that you've butchered innocent people here today."

"Look I'm just trying to get out of this alive lady, I didn't sign on for this crazy crusade of Balak's, neither did my boys, this was just going to be a quick slave grab and -"

'BANG!' A sledgehammer round caused him to grow a fifth eye and he flew over backwards, deader than Elvis, Samus holding her smoking handgun. It's first kill. "Good enough for me," she said for all to hear. Trapped on all sides the Batarians were massacred, the last one alive was begging through a mouthful of blood, Wrex held up his palm:

"Talk to the hand," a hydraulic hiss later and a metal spike spat from his gauntlet, impaling the terrorist against the wall, his head lolling against his ruined torso. Once they were all in the Mako and well on their way to the main facility, Samus keyed in the Normandy's frequency.

"Joker, according to the pathfinder we've got four enemy rovers out in front of the administration building, request strafing run from the North East."

"On it Commander, feel free to use the big guns out front, LADAR scans indicate hostages are to the rear of the complex and the interior atrium is separately sealed."

"Roger that, Shepard out," the Mako crested a mountainous hill and raced down towards the facility, the enemy tanks opened fire but Samus steered them out of danger in a zig-zag pattern, Garrus fired the main accelerator cannon, the explosion tore the front wheel off one of the M29 Grizzly's, causing it to flip as it lost stability and came to a rest upside down. Nearly silent H2O jets reverberated over the plain, the Normandy SR-1 swooped down and fired three blue GARDIAN laser shots, consuming the three vehicles in balls of orange light that rapidly dwindled away in the vacuum to nothingness.

"Hell yeah!" Sounded Ashley's voice over the radio, she was the one obviously operating the gunnery controls, "we've got you covered Commander, if those bastards even think about running I'll give them a disruptor torpedo courtesy of the people of Earth!" Samus didn't lower her serious demeanour, Terra Nova might have been saved as easily as it was threatened but the monster responsible had to be brought in - or put down.

"Nice shooting Williams!" Praised Garrus, as he rained machine gun fire on the crashed rover, cracking its hydrogen cell and causing it to go up in temporary flames. He turned the cannon on the facade of the building and let loose. The shell wiped out the metal, ceramic and glass front as if it was cardboard, the volume of air expanded so quickly that it didn't even look like a conventional explosion, more like a snap-shot, violent grey dust storm.

All of the remaining terrorists were concentrated in the office blocks, as Samus and her team crossed the patch of ground, they saw the atrocities the Batarians had committed, the face plates of those working vacuum smashed in so that they died of oxygen loss, tortured and executed individuals, entering the breached building, more engineers who had been eaten alive by their war beasts. They would pay dearly for their crimes.

Samus activated her omni tool and scanned her surroundings again, there were thirty terrorists left, plus five more Varren in the central chamber and only a paltry three Human hostages locked in a side office near the stairwell. _"Once more into the fray," _she thought, the four of them burst in, weapons blazing a trail of destruction, Kaiden's auto-targeting reticule locked on and he sprayed a volley of liquid tungsten through those who were forced out of cover by Garrus's tech proximity mines.

Wrex got in close, using his newly gifted pistol to mess up the already ugly faces of those he cornered, dual-wielding his Spectre weapons and causing untold havoc to inanimate objects as well as organics, trashing the offices with their blade attachments in equal measure. Samus forced her way upstairs by using a new trick, whereby she threw four, seeking throw fields not unlike her missiles, two from each hand, which batted them over the railings and to their deaths or crushed them against the unyielding metal bulkheads.

Once they had cleaned out half the lower levels, the Commander sent her allies to secure the basement while she freed the hostages, the growl of a Varren caused her to fire up a nearby staircase, but a cyclonic barrier field deflected the shot, standing behind the shield were two Batarians and a _huge_ war Varren, almost the size of a tiger.

"You Humans, you're almost more trouble than your worth," the one she assumed to be the leader spat crudely.

"I'm just getting started, why don't you fight me face to face, coward," she retorted flatly, holstering her pistol and polishing her palms in preparation for tearing him a new one.

"You've done well, but this is over. I'm leaving, if you try to stop me I'll kill your little helper and her friends." The leader of the outfit pointed to the office, Samus could see the terrified faces of Katie and two colleagues staring imploringly back, their lives hung in the balance. Samus turned back to look at the Batarian leader, and then she recognised him.

He had stood there next to Haliat, grinning down at her broken form on Elysium's main plaza, he had cradled the same Batarian State Arms Lightning Strike sniper rifle, he was the man who had killed Christopher Meer, her first XO, helped co-ordinate the Blitz with Haliat, and he was going to die by her hand. Kaiden, Wrex and Garrus came to stand by her as she voiced her ultimatum.

"And you don't get to walk away from here Balak, not after what you've done." It was bad luck, if she had brought Tali or Fredericks she could have sent them to disable the bombs but she was the only demo expert on the team and she was not about to yield to a terrorist's demands.

"What I've done?" Said Balak in disbelief, "this is nothing to what Humanity has done to my species, we've been forced into exile. Forced to survive on what we can scrounge up!" Samus interrupted him in mid-rant.

"Your kind legalizes slavery, we weren't going to see _eye to eye_ on many matters. Besides, do you expect me to believe you're actions are sanctioned by the Hegemony? I think I know who you're really working for and I won't let that madman's lapdog run free, not on my watch."

"Enough! Did _you_ think that when you took our resources and colonised worlds that should have been ours that we would do nothing? I had no peaceful options Human, sometime you just have to tread on a few toes to get people's attention."

"Is that what Elysium was?" Asked Samus, her blood boiling, "a way to get our attention? Well you got it, and when we responded you ran like cowards!"

"I'm done wasting my breath Human, you don't want to understand, so I suggest you stand aside, unless you want these people's_ blood_ on your hands!" He roared, activating his omni tool for instant detonation of the charges. Samus sighed, it was not easy, but the good of the many had to come before the good of the few, Balak was the murderer here and she didn't owe the bold, foolish girl anything. Haliat had to be found, the pair of them must have an immense army indeed for the loss of so many men to phase the green furred Batarian so little, what other horrors could they have planned for Humanity?

"Do what you want with the others, but know this, it'll be the last thing you do," she vowed.

"I hope this is worth it!" Laughed Balak madly as he detonated the charge and killed the last three engineers, Simon was now the only survivor. "I'm going to enjoy gutting you!" Said Balak through gritted fangs as he fixed a six inch blade to his sniper rifle and ran for his ship along the upper balcony with is bodyguard, like a sissy girl. The barrier faded away as the rigged generator wore down and the Varren charged the group.

"Go! I've got this," boomed Wrex, tearing out his dagger, "call that a knife, _this_ is a knife!" He roared as he wrestled with the huge dog who was trying to fasten its jaws around his throat, Garrus and Kaiden dealt with the automated sentry turrets that Balak had also released while Samus sprinted after him on the floor below. Unclipping a disc grenade she let fly, detonating it above their heads as they ran for their lives, the blast picked up his retainer and plastered him across the wall. Amazingly, despite his big head-start, she cut him off on the far stairwell, Balak screamed in fury and jabbed his bayonet at the first Human Spectre; she parried it aside with her shotgun, blocking several more frenzied swipes with the butt, drawing him closer to the top of the stairs, then blasted the weapon from his hands, the snowblind rounds freezing its components, it shattered into harmless chunks as it hit bottom.

Defenceless, Balak was left wide open for a double heavy melee attack, Samus crushed his hamstring with a step-in, low kick then biotically socked him down the flight, he crashed down the steps four at a time and rolled up to lie next to a crate, bloodied and broken, but alive.

Samus drew her pistol as she walked calmly after him, Balak reached desperately for his knife that he had landed next to, she fired a warning shot, sending the implement skidding away.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to stop us," he hissed mockingly. "You think you're so superior, but you're no better than us, I gave you a chance to save them and you threw it away!" Rage infused Aran, she put two rounds in both of his shoulders as her squad joined her, causing him to scream whiningly. "Dammit! What do you want, details? You'll know. When your colonies lie in ruins, you'll know that the Batarian rebellion has begun!" Samus shot him in both thighs, finally breaking his pain threshold, he had to know what she wanted, their roles were reversed from seven years ago and all his petty mind games were nothing to her.

But then with awful clarity, she understood. Haliat was a broken man, as was Balak, this had been their last chance to get even with Humanity. The Terminus Clans would have persecuted them for their failure at Elysium, he was nothing, there was no long-term plan of attack from the Batarians, their rogue state was not even half as strong as the Alliance. It was all just the actions of a few extreme fundamentalists, zealots, 'misguided patriots' unwilling to concede their perceived high ground.

She had sacrificed three innocent people for nothing save revenge.

Balak started laughing from his endorphin high, "so Human? Who's the real terrorist here?" Balak's eyes glinted malevolently, Samus cursed the gift of hind-sight, she had done everything in her power, but then at the same time, she hadn't. Her voice became flinty as steel as she looked down on her vanquished foe, he was the one responsible for all this, she leveled her pistol at his throat.

"You. But you're dead." She lowered the gun slightly and fired a harpoon round straight into his chest, right where Chris had been shot. It shredded his hard suit, macerated the lung tissue and flooded his intercostal fluids with life blood. Balak shuddered as the pain became unbearable but the blood loss was negligible, he was in for a hell of a long wait for his soul to pass from his eyes. Samus turned and did not look back as she walked away, leaving him to a protracted and messy end.

* * *

><p>Simon Atwell ran up to congratulate the Commander, asteroid X-57 had been steered off course! "I ran the numbers Shepard it would have hit Scott, the Capital city but that's not going to happen, thanks to you. Did you find Katie and her team?"<p>

Samus removed her helmet and took Simon to one side: "You'd best sit down," she consoled, he did so, starting to look pale. "Balak had a bomb, he killed your people when I refused to let him go, I'm sorry."

"Oh my God, I - I mean, couldn't you do something, couldn't you save them?"

"Part of my job means being able to take responsibility for decisions like this. I could not allow Balak to roam free, pervert another slaver ring into a wannabe terrorist cell and wait for him to try another attack. I'll be glad to let Katie's face keep me awake tonight if it means your family can sleep soundly."

"I, I understand Shepard, you saved us all, thank you, for my grand children's lives. Don't think I'll stick around though, not with the team gone, too many ghosts." Samus nodded in accord with his wishes, Atwell seemed to be on the verge of retirement anyway. "I get some premiere items being Chief Engineer and all, take your pick." The huntress spied the custom Savant omni tool on his right wrist, she had had several ideas running around in her head for haptic display vambraces, maybe even twin omni blades considering her body could power the necessary juice in replacement of belt mounted power packs; leaving her fresh to cast biotics.

"That omni tool you're wearing, I could really use something like that," she began carefully, unsure whether a careerist engineer would give up the most used object of his trade.

"Shepard," he assured, "I believe I just said you saved my kids and grand kids, what's an omni tool to that? You take it, with my blessing." He handed her the advanced make and she clipped it to her armour gratefully, excited to make the modifications that would allow it to become much a part of her as the Varia Suit.

* * *

><p>And just like that the Commander and crew of the SSV Normandy left asteroid X-57 for new adventures, after informing the authorities that the terrorists had been dealt with. Garrus was ecstatic as they clambered out of the Mako into the ship's cargo bay. "Thanks for letting me tag along Commander, I knew working with a Spectre would be more interesting than C-Sec." Samus raised an eyebrow questioningly.<p>

"Have you worked with a Spectre before?" The question threw the Turian super cop off guard and he stuttered his reply.

"W-w-well I know what they're like and you don't disappoint. You're free to go about things your way, no rules or regulations to tie you down."

"That's not always a liberty we have Garrus," she reminded him, "sometimes...You can't make a decision without it costing it's fair share of suffering in the world. We live with it, we move on to greater things, and we should never regret what we have done, that road leads to despair. We should always keep the best solution open, to trust in hope and goodness. Its just a shame it can't exist without misery and evil." She treaded the path back to her quarters, leaving Garrus behind to ponder her words.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next time, talks with Pressly, Joker, Tali and Kaiden. The mission on Therum, (no Mako drop), the plot thickens... A big thank you to everybody for reading, any constructive criticism or comments of a more praiseworthy nature are always appreciated! See you next time!**

**Seventeen days and counting until ME3! Well, at least for us Brits, you lucky Yanks get it three days early, some of you will be finished before I've even begun I'll wager! **


	18. Fortes' Inquit 'Fortuna Iuvat

**A/N: Two updates this week, I'm on a roll! Anyone who finds the connection between my Latin title for this chapter and the eruption that consumes the Prothean ruins gets – well, knowledge! Did you know that Zebes has an atmospheric pressure of 90 Earth Atmosphere's! That means that all living Chozo were **_**hard**_**, harder than hard. I'm talking about lung tissue, internal organs, muscle fibres and blood vessels that couldn't be affected in the slightest a full kilometre below sea level on Earth! **

_"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."  
><em>

_(Dwight D. Eisenhower) _

**Fortes' Inquit 'Fortuna Iuvat**

Over the next couple of days, events on the Normandy were much less dynamic than the previous excursion. Tali was re-routing the drive core's electrical discharge to manageable levels when the Commander took the time to come down and speak to her for the first time while she was on duty; having been busy filing her first report to the Council regarding the events above Terra Nova.

The engineering sector was never without a replacement shift working non-stop on the fourteen million credit eezo reactor, Samus was approached by Adams first – who looked exceptionally pleased.

"How's Ms. Zorah nar Rayya fitting in with the team?" She queried, indicating the veiled, exo-suit wearing woman hunched over a console, typing furiously.

"You've got an eye for talent Commander," he related eagerly, "wish half of my people were as knowledgeable as her, give Tali a month on board and she'll know even more about our systems than I do!"

"Excellent, I'll check in on her periodically, I'm afraid I'll have to drag her away for some ground missions Adams, but I won't let anything happen to your protégé now."

"Make sure of it ma'am, I don't know how we ever got on without her!" Samus shared a laugh with her Chief Engineer then excused herself to approach and converse with the Pilgrim. Tali turned around, hopping on the balls of her feet animatedly as the Commander approached, she remembered something about Quarians having an excellent sense of hearing – it was what made them such professional miners and technicians.

"Your ship is amazing Shepard! How can such a small vessel hold such an immense drive core?" Her excitement of all things technical was really shining through, it was contagious and Samus quickly found herself developing a soft spot for the young Quarian.

"She's on the bleeding-edge," Samus explained happily, "the Tantalus represents the largest investment in the Normandy's creation, and without it we'd have no motive power for stealth runs, or her legendary manoeuvrability." Tali's eyes sparkled at the prospect of discovering that her Captain was just as avid a ship mechanic as her.

"I thought you were a soldier first and foremost Shepard, did you study ship engineering at the Academy?"

"Not extensively in the Alliance, I was more into computing, systems architecture, research and development. But you could say it's a, _hobby_ of mine."

"Ah, I see, an informal education then, I don't suppose you could tell me the mathematical equation for the inner matrices of the flux capacitor when exposed to an amplitude charge of five million joules of energy."

"_Please_ Tali; the flux capacitor can't even reach such a large number of coulombs according to Maxwell's equations. I call trick question."

"Huh, you've got me Shepard, most engineers pretend to know what you're talking about even if it contradicts basic models, its a reflex mechanism, I can see you must have studied extensively to stick to your guns like that."

"Well we're going to need your particular set of skills soon enough Tali, there's extensive Geth numbers on Therum, the Quarians must have some omni tool attack procedures they don't pass out easily for dismantling synthetics."

"Yes we do, but I trust you Shepard, so of course I'd be willing to share," she activated her new Nexus omni tool. "Oh and thanks for the upgrade Commander; this has cut my work time in half."

"You mean you haven't been sleeping for the last two days?" Joked Aran, Tali crossed her arms and cocked her head, her reply noting and imparting the heightened repartee.

"From what I've heard from the rest of the crew, you hardly sleep at all, Commander."

"Okay, I've been officially told, care to lecture me on hacking protocols as well?"

"The neural network can be temporarily hijacked with a sophisticated algorithm that bombards their sensors with junk data;" Tali explained as she brought up the formulae on her omni tool. "They end up attacking anyone and everything in an attempt to process too much information. However, I don't seem to be able to increase the likelihood of random attack vectors and the different multitudes of viruses, larger platforms have more sophisticated firewalls you see."

Samus's keen eye detected a similarity in the Geth norms coding, if you combined the hacking vector with both schism cryptograms she had uploaded on Eden Prime, then even armature class units could be driven berserk.

Surmising her theory rapidly, Samus ran a simulation with a new programme that could detect changes to the Geth protocols and adapt for temporary but repeatable sabotage and AI hacking attempts.

"This work of yours is incredible Shepard!" Cried Tali as she beheld the corrections on her omni tool, "some of our best techs haven't ever been able modify the neural network to this extent." The Commander waved her hand modestly, though inwardly glad that she now had a significant advantage over the Geth after a few minutes of Tali's help.

"Without your programme and insight I wouldn't have got anywhere, besides, I'm one of the first people to study the Geth after three centuries of evolution, but some things never change. As a collective consciousness, what affects one, can easily affect the other."

"You talk like you've fought sentient machines before!" Tali said amusedly, Samus was furtively glancing from side to side in her thoughts as she laughed along with her. "But seriously Shepard, this is stellar work. Um, since we are still technically on my Pilgrimage, I was wondering – if any relevant data on the Geth, their advancements, methods of attack, signs of their long term plans. Would you allow me to bring together all that we can find?"

The huntress saw how eager she was to help her people and crush their enemy, it reminded her of the halcyon days when everything was black and white, she would have to address her later on such matters.

"Of course, I'll pass anything on if it's important."

"Thank you Commander, I'd best get back to work, talk to you later."

"Later Tal," Samus bumped into Garrus as she exited engineering.

"Ah Commander, I was just looking for you," he started, walking beside his CO as she began to fill out license permits for the requisitions officer, the Turian fiddled with his talons, wondering how to broach the subject. "The Normandy is a hell of a ship," he settled on with gusto, "it combines the best of Human innovation and Turian engineering, shows what we can accomplish if we work together."

"It certainly does, but I get the feeling you're not here just to talk about the ship."

"Yeah, I'll get straight to the point Shepard, my father; he's been sending messages telling me to abort my services on this mission, he's afraid that I'm too reckless, too sudden of choler, that I'll end up just like Saren."

"Prove him wrong Garrus, we've discussed this, _keep_, that level head, evaluate all and every angle in any given situation," she turned round and placed a hand on his shoulder; "you're not thinking of quitting on me now are you?"

"Of course not, I'm with you to the end, Shepard. It's just that – I hated leaving, C-Sec I mean. My father was always a big influence on my childhood and now - He wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become a cop, protect people, uphold the law – hah, his mantra was always 'do things right or don't do them at all.' Never fond of the Spectres as you can imagine."

"Let me guess, he resented the zero-culpability mandate and the unlimited extralegal powers Spectres wield."

"Exactly, he wouldn't like you, Commander. No offence." He added ruefully, Samus clapped him on the shoulder and continued her rounds.

"Sometimes I envy the fact that many people were raised by their parent's guidance and then I find myself thankful that I wasn't!" She began to check the Mako's suspension while Garrus went to his attuning console.

"I hear you there – overbearing parents are _not_ a good topic of conversation."

"But you _want_ to talk about it don't you, to prove your loyalty?"

"Stop being right Shepard!"

"Can't help it, it's my gift and my curse Garrus, let it all out, I'll be your psychological counselor!" Over the next hour Garrus spoke of his upbringing on Palaven, his mother's degenerative condition and his father's reputation as one of the finest officers in all of C-Sec's long history, Aran looked forward greatly to seeing where Garrus would be in a few years time, he had great leadership potential, it would not do for her to stifle it, but best to encourage it.

Retiring to her own workstation just inside her office, Samus ran tests on her dual omni tools, hoping to create on board holographic armour, after a few hours it became apparent that the electro-conductive materials just didn't exist yet and she was loath to try and replicate the Varia Suit's advanced underlay. At best a flimsy extra layer of surprise protection could be booted, it couldn't integrate with shield or barrier upgrades, all it could do was reboot a kinetic shield emitter in combat, while not exactly what she was looking for, she mailed the schematics to Gary Jules, the head of R&D at Arcturus whom she often kept in touch with.

Out of the research a very beneficial outcome was achieved though, Samus created a tech / medical programme that could measure and administer exact trauma doses of medi gel to heal injuries and a harmonics signal that allowed her allies' shields to re-sync with hers even if they were under constant fire.

She decided to name the defensive omni tool procedure 'Unity' in honour of her lifestyle change to accept and train allies into a formidable army, though her skill in solo operations was no less diminished because of it.

"_Commander, Joker here, we're preparing for FTL transit to the Knossos system, ETA three hours, orders upon entry?" _

"Start scanning every planetary body, I want that site found within the fourth hour, Pressly has full jurisdiction on any extenuating anomalies."

"_Aye aye, Commander, I'll let you know when we arrive." _

Therum was a scorchingly hot mining world, with Prothean ruins dotted over the surface, luckily, crewman Draven managed to pin-point the Geth signals originating from a site in the northern hemisphere, placing their numbers around three hundred and that at least two Geth drop ships would be present. With so much resistance to a straight up attack, Samus decided that a quick strike team could be in and out of the hot zone before reinforcements turned up. Normandy could get them in on foot, then extract them from the ground while running beneath radar. It was risky, but no-one fancied fighting their way through the two Geo-thermal plants protecting the dig.

For this mission, Samus would take Ashley, Fredericks, Tali and Wrex. Him especially because he got grumpy when there was nothing to kill. The Commander had to keep his blood lust sated, for as calm and collected as Wrex was, he was just as susceptible to blood rage as any Krogan, considering that Tuchanka's nuclear holocaust had conditioned them as such.

Unlike the prior mission, the SR-1 could not offer air support, the gravity was just above Earth's density, therefore Normandy would have to disable kinetic barriers upon re-entry, or risk electro-static discharge capable of frying the attenuators beyond repair. The Commander was not willing to risk an engagement with such a disadvantage, the best that could be said of the situation was that the Geth ships were equally vulnerable if the worst came to the worst.

Everyone was suited up in the cargo hold, Ash was wearing her medium Phoenix armour, Josh his standard Alliance issue, while Tali and Wrex put on a layer of over plating. Samus had reverted back to her N7, full faced helmet, Onyx armour for its more durable hardened weave and Non-Newtonian shock absorbers for the harsh environment. They all sealed their helmets, though Aran felt the most secure, knowing that the sulfur content in the air was hardly considered a threat to her.

Stepping up, the squad was in the position for the jump, buffeting waves of heat blasted them as the doors slowly whooshed open: "Stay close! Follow me!" She called, leaping off the board and making the fifty metre drop in the decelerator channel. The Normandy was away and gone as the ground team all straightened up and moved into their assigned positions according to the Commander's hand gestures.

_"Commander I'm getting some strange readings, like off the damn charts, the site's five clicks to the West but it looks like you're going to get some heavy opposition." _ Joker couldn't have been more right, the Geth were entrenched here, not spread out in small parties as they had been on Eden Prime. Fredericks, Tali and Wrex had to cover short to medium range attacks while Ashley and Samus dealt with long range pre-emptive strikes to punch a hole through enemy defences.

They battled up a large sloping plain, outmaneuvering the Geth platforms at speed, Wrex drawing an insane amount of fire, Tali projecting overload darts into chassis' and sparking them into white blood spattered destruction, the three Alliance Marines pinned the rest down with advance and cover tactics until the synthetics were overrun by the five organics. But it was far from over, sniper towers had been set up on a high ridge while shock troopers guarded the gulley leading to the site.

"Javelins! Get down!" Zips of high pressure tungsten broke of chips of basalt as the team spread out over the area and dived into cover, Samus rolled to the opposite side of the rock formation, leaned out in a kneeling position and sniped one of the Geth in their nests, Fredericks blind fired, suppressing the ground forces, allowing for Wrex to gather his biotic energy and cast a six metre wide throw field, sending several straight into the nearby lava lake. Ashley distracted the last sniper with deliberate exposure of her head, then darted back as the vestiges of a super-conductant blast splashed across her visor; having given away it's position, Tali and Samus made short work of it with a combined carnage blast, detonating the whole nest into molten metal.

"Quickly, before they re-group!" The team raced up the ridge and began to clamber along the mountain range as fast as they could, the whir of a Geth drop ship's engines thrumming through the air and drumming into their ears. "Hit the deck!" She roared, her troops lay flat, jumping into small crevices as the sound of a siege pulse charged from beyond the ridge. Blue-veined explosions of electro-shelled plasma exploded around them, the ship came along the hill, trying for a clearer shot.

"Concentrate fire on the port thrusters!" The three gunsmiths configured their battle rifles within two seconds, changing the clip from sabot to inferno rounds and overclocking the internal scram rails. Wrex, Ashley and Samus melted and cracked the engine marginally while Tali configured a round shrapnel grenade with an overload tech mine and coated it with a sticky resin derived from omni gel. The drop ships' cannons began to charge up again, a flash of electricity signaled that the H2 fuel cells were exposed as the trio's cascade of fire compromised the armour layer. Tali drew back her arm, activating a holographic omni sling and hurled the make-shift ordinance device in a fantastic shot-put throw, it arced through the black fumed air and latched on to the interior of the opening!

Fredericks and Samus exchanged a glance, then hit the sticky bomb with a double overload field. The explosion was immense, tearing off the rear engine in a glorious, fiery detonation that caused the team to lie low as the blast swept across the high cliff, the siege pulses went wide as the ship rocked drunkenly, then spiraled out of control and struck the crust of the magma fields, beginning to sink beneath the viscous, effulgent material.

"All of you get out of here! It's going to blow!" The team sprinted along the ridge as the light frigate began to self-destruct, it's core systems were overheating and it's fusion plant was going into meltdown. They were nearly three hundred metres away when the reaction went off, a plume of lava and ash nearly a hundred feet high burst upwards and the subsequent shock wave bowled the squad over as chunks of cherry red rock and Geth parts rained down on them.

Tali and Fredericks whooped in victory and embraced, Wrex was nodding in satisfaction while Ashley cursed as one of the projectiles broke apart on her helmet, Samus even allowed herself a faint smile, _"one down, one to go." _

The team made their way further along the ridge where they were forced to climb upwards and use nylon fibre rope to ascend the sheer face; eventually they reached a long road leading up to the major ruin. As one, the squad carefully advanced, having defeated one major outpost they were sure there would be another, as they entered the mining site, they failed to spy an advanced Geth model, a ghost hopper, observing them from underneath a catwalk.

"This heat reminds me of home," informed Wrex banally, "how are you mammals doing Shepard?" Ashley flipped him off and Samus made a 'shut up' gesture, (cuts across the throat), as some new interference came into play. Suddenly three hoppers bounced around the landscape and off the mining cells distracting them as a low flying Geth drop ship, the last, flew over and deployed an Armature-Class Colossus onto the battlefield, including a contingent of Geth troopers on a hover-skiff. Samus directed her troops in four different directions as she took the full force of the enemy contingent's attention.

A hopper dived through the air, slamming Tali to the ground and pinning her down, it charged its spine mounted plasma ray, similar to the Javelin rifles, Ashley kicked its head in and helped her up while Wrex strafed to the side of the storage facility, picking off any Geth stupid enough to stand out in the open. Fredericks rolled behind some crates, drawing some of the Colossus's mass accelerator fire, allowing Samus to charge in and take the offensive approach, she seized a hopper off the wall biotically, infused it with warp energy and threw it into the group on the skiff; the field expanded and fried their components into ash.

Wrex and Ashley poured assault rounds into the Colossus's shields but it was too powerful for conventional weaponry, it was a walking tank and Samus knew this as she trounced the Geth infantry while dodging siege pulses, the Geth drop-ship seemed to have landed behind the mountain, obviously at another entrance to the underground dig site. "Tali! That hacking sub-routine would really come in handy right now!" She yelled while using a Geth shock trooper as a hunched, metal shield and blasting others away with her pistol.

"On it Shepard!" Tali ducked down behind a reinforced geothermal pipe and began to prime her omni tool, standing up she released the virus towards the Armature. The Colossus went nuts, spraying an obscene amount of tungsten all over the place, shredding friendly's into bits while Samus gathered her biotic power in one hand and her omni tool in the other. Running forward, she swept her arm upwards, lifting the Colossus's front legs of the ground and ruining it's firing radius, the squad marveled at such a display of biotic fortitude, she slid underneath the huge machine, raising her right arm like the days of old and firing two warp shots into the underside of it's belly.

The machine stomped forward, nearly crushing Samus under it's bulk as the field wore off, but the huntress hand sprung upwards and grappled around it's long neck, then proceeded to drive her charged omni tool into it's cracked and softened armour. It's systems went haywire as it rocked back and forth from the continuous overload; still refusing to shut down, Samus pulled out her HMW shotgun and severed the neck from the body with a final booming rapport at point-blank range, the synthetic's legs crumpled beneath it's chassis and it crashed to the volcanic earth, Samus rolling neatly off, to stand and survey the carnage her team had wrought.

"That was awesome Commander!" Cried Josh, channeling Jenkins.

"Quite the daredevil stunt Skipper," added Ashley.

"Are you all right?" Tali butted in.

"Shepard," said Wrex simply.

"Wrex," she replied gladly, "all of you, that trick wouldn't have worked without your support, so give yourselves a pat on the back. Now, take a moment to collect yourselves - then let's go open some doors."

Frederick's demo charges were set in the thick stone via their drill spikes, getting to a safe distance, he activated them and blew an opening in the ground, it revealed a deep sinkhole that seemed almost natural. Luckily it was wide enough to allow the five members of the party to rappel down the shaft for about forty feet, Tali activated a glow stick to light the dark passage. The stifling dry heat seemed to double in temperature, even Samus and Wrex were starting to get uncomfortable.

The team made their way through the yellow speckled dark caverns, watchful for more synthetic soldiers. Signs that the site had once been occupied began to show, small floodlights, back-up generators and other electric devices among other things that had been set up for temporary usage. Descending downwards, they found ancient support columns and ovular entrance ways built into the rock, which were bathed in cerulean light. One of the service elevators still worked after fifty thousand years, but it was then that they found themselves on more recently placed metal walkways, patrols from the last ship had to be here somewhere...

"Protheans sure built this stuff to last eh' Commander?" Ventured Williams.

"Doubtful, these seem to be foundations, whatever city existed here was either swallowed by volcanicity or immolated from orbit, this was a well-developed world, its environment is too hostile to be natural, second planet from the system's sun or not."

"Trouble!" Roared Wrex as they worked their way out of a series of inter-connected tunnels and out into a larger cave. Immediately Samus knew that they were outmatched in this engagement, there were rocket troops, snipers, even a few destroyers among the basic and shock trooper varieties and they were on the lower ground, at a significant disadvantage.

Quickly Samus retreated her forces back into the tunnels as the Geth advanced, she ordered them into side passages, they would lure the Geth into a bottleneck, then outflank and disorient the numerically superior force. Samus's training paid off as it had so many times before, as smart as the Geth could be at battalion size strength they could not match inventive tactics on the fly, especially those of organics.

The Geth were caught in a five-way crossfire as they followed the Commander's squad underground, a perfectly co-ordinated kill zone that left a large pile of synthetics after the shooting had stopped. It was so big that Wrex had to clear the exit for everyone to get through.

Going further into the bowels of the site, the team had to scramble down several broken lift shafts, Samus decided to scout ahead and clambered down unimpeded by her allies. Spotting a landing zone on the metal platform below, she dropped the last twenty metres and landed with a loud clunk in a crouched position, she smiled at her prowess, she hadn't encountered a height that could hurt her yet, good job there was no-one around to see that.

"Uh, hello? Is anybody there? Could someone help me...Please?" Came a soft voice from beyond a flickering barrier curtain, the Chozo - Human hybrid looked up in shock, had she seen? The shield did distort whatever you looked through but as the Commander neared she could see an Asari trapped and floating in a sphere of blue-shifting energy behind it.

"Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped I need help!" Samus couldn't help but notice that she was very pretty, with a petite nose, wide eyes and full lips, though not to Ashley's seemingly botox-induced extent. Her skin tone was a mixture of lighter blues that got darker around her head fringe and she had light freckles on her cheeks that made her look young despite her advanced years compared to your ordinary human. She was clad in a form-fitting scientist's smock, which was green and white, with black teal trousers and long gloves up to the elbow for her excavations.

"Dr. T'Soni I presume?" Quested Samus cautiously, though she doubted that she was another of Saren's assassins.

"Yes I am, thank the Goddess, I thought no-one would find me down here."

"Are you okay, what happened to you?"

"Fine apart from being trapped in this security device. I was exploring the ruins when the Geth arrived, can you believe that? Geth beyond the Veil! I ran in here and powered up this Prothean barrier curtain to keep the Geth out but when I turned it on I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to, you must get me out, please!"

"Stay calm. It looks like we'll have to find a way past the curtain to activate that release console next to you."

"What have I missed Commander," rumbled Wrex as he jumped down from around the ten foot mark, shaking the whole platform, followed promptly by the rest of the squad.

"Here's the good doctor, we have to get in there to shut off the external defences and make an extraction." Something dawned on Liara as she noticed Wrex.

"Be careful. There is a Krogan with the Geth, they have been trying different ways to get past the barrier."

"You know this site," interjected Tali, "have you any suggestions on how we can help?" Samus waved her off.

"Don't worry Tali, a wise man once said fortune favours the bold," that instant a behemoth of a manned mining drill ripped through the rock wall of the far cavern, along with around thirty Geth infantry units._ "Yeah right,"_ Thought Aran grimly, disengaging her assault rifle and preparing to rock and roll.

With Ashley laying down covering fire from the walkway with her sniper rifle, the rest of the squad got into the thick of things. Namely, blowing up Geth in the most imaginative ways possible. Samus took the high road above Liara's camp, which was quickly reduced to rubble and canvas as the drill mashed up tents and huge boulders as if they were nothing. The cubicle proved bullet resistant when Samus unloaded fifty grains into the side door, Wrex, Tali and Josh began to back off in the face of the unstoppable machine, preparing to drop grenades on it once they got back to the upper level.

"Wait!" The Commander called, "I've got a plan!" Samus's _plan_ involved a hastily calculated leap to the heavy-duty vehicle and hacking the door open. The Geth pilot's eye-piece seemed to brighten in alarm as the Spectre forced the sheet of metal aside; then slammed both heavy booted feet into its torso while swinging on the ceiling handle bars, bashing it out of the passenger side door to fall underneath the tire tracks and be crushed with a mechanical squeal.

Taking control, Samus drove the machine straight into the wall beneath Liara's cell, activating the concentrated laser attachment at the centre of the spinning diamond blades to full power. The ensuing combination of heat and an exceptionally strong allotrope of carbon broke the ten metre thick stone asunder in a cloud of sandy dust.

Exiting the vehicle, Samus used the door as cover because over a hundred Geth had flooded in from the far side of the room after their vanguard, she brought a few down but there was far too many to fight up-front. "All of you! Move out!" The team vaulted over the railings, landed on the mining laser, then jumped down to join their Commander, Wrex's shields and barrier were quickly depleted but he refused to let others shield him, grunting in discomfort when rounds thudded into his plates and released puffs of orange blood. Samus was forced to use Unity to bring her people's shields back to full strength as they raced across the cavern, now aglow with Geth tracer rounds exploding around them.

The stone dust covered their escape into a wide lift shaft, Samus quickly activated it and they left the Geth forces behind, the huntress had a plan for delaying them. They reached Liara, still hovering away and she moved to deactivate the security field.

"How did you get through? I didn't think there was anyway past," asked Liara in disbelief.

"Superior firepower," said Samus lightheartedly, tinkering with the unfamiliar controls, a flash of orange veined code appeared before her mind's eye, ancient Prothean symbols? The numbers became clear, as did their order and the Commander quickly brought the field off line, though she was not sure how. Liara dropped to the ground and quickly got up - dusting herself off and turning to them gratefully.

"Whoa Commander! That's Benezia's daughter, she could be involved with Saren just like her Mom. Can we trust her?" Ashley posited aggressively, Liara did not seem best pleased at this accusation.

"I am not my mother! I don't even - I don't know why Benezia would join Saren. I don't want anything to do with that Turian bastard!"

Samus shot Ashley a furious stare, already feeling protective of her new charge, "If she was with Saren the Geth wouldn't be trying to kill her Williams!" Ashley was suitably cowed and stepped back. "Now come on, back to the elevator. It's time to get the hell out of here!"

The group of six ran back to the lift, hearing the ping of Geth weaponry on the underside. Tali managed to bypass the controls completely and get the lift to move much faster to the top level, which was about fifty floors up. Liara looked dazed and confused, covered in dirt as she was and looking very tired from her prolonged immobilization.

"I don't understand, why would Saren come after me? Do you think Benezia is involved?" She asked the Commander deliriously, instinctively drawn to the tall woman who was so calm under fire.

"Have you ever heard of the Conduit? I assume Saren needed something within this ruin; or your person in order to locate it."

"No, I have only collected preliminary findings from this site, nothing in the slightest bit world-changing and I have no idea what the Conduit i -" A huge rumble sounded below, shaking the very pillars of the earth.

"What was that?" Cried out Josh in surprise, Samus tapped her right hip smugly, with its notably missing grenade bandoleer.

* * *

><p><em>A few seconds earlier...<em>

One of the Geth troopers was investigating the mining vehicle's cab, the platform had detected unusual auditory fluctuations. Craning its neck to look under the driver's seat it identified six grenades wired to an overload tech mine and a solid state holographic countdown. It read: Three...Two...One...

* * *

><p>"That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event," realised Liara, no-one noticed Samus rub her arm in discomfort. "We need to hurry, this whole place is starting to cave in." Then with a thrill of fright from them all, they all percieved the smell of brimstone down below, the volcano was choosing the <em>worst<em> time to blow its top.

Samus rapidly keyed in Normandy's frequency: "Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double mister!"

"Aye aye Commander, secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes."

"He'll get here in time, he'll get here in time," prayed Fredericks.

"Its going to be close Skipper," notified Ashley.

"Joker is a great pilot, if anyone can pull this off, it's him," Tali reassured everyone.

"Yeah, well if I die down here I'm going to kill him! Spat Wrex grumpily.

The elevator reached the top and the housings locked it in place, Samus led her group towards the exit, the ceiling beginning to crack and fall apart in huge pieces of falling masonry, only for them to be blocked by a squad of Geth led by a Krogan Battlemaster, she couldn't help but notice that his guards were made up of a standard, shock, sniper, rocket and destroyer troop types; they brought the barrier curtain up so that no-one could get out.

"Surrender! Or don't. That would be more fun," he announced crazily, Samus wondered whether this guy was for real.

"Look around you, you fool! This place is falling apart!"

"Yes, exhilarating isn't it? Now hand over the doctor or -" The Commander answered him with a disc frag grenade thrown into their midst and detonating it in mid-air. It blasted the Krogan off his feet to land behind one of the lift struts, while the sniper flew forwards, allowing Samus to punch it in flight, snapping the flash-light head back at a critical angle. Liara ducked and covered, bringing up a strong biotic barrier to protect herself, covering her inner ears due to the massive sound of the explosive going off. Wrex and Tali stood back to back, boom sticks working overtime as they took down the rocket troop and the destroyer. Ash and Josh barely had to do anything as a piece of the roof flattened the last two Geth units.

"SHEPARD!" Bellowed the enemy Battlemaster, charging towards Samus at nearly thirty miles an hour, she was the only thing that stood between Liara and the brute, a biotic corona whipped around his left hand, in his right he brandished a shotgun - the crew risked hitting their Commander if they intervened.

Wrex hopelessly tried to reach the Krogan first but he had too little momentum; Dr. T'Soni fell back, certain that who she now knew to be the first Human Spectre was going to be killed before her eyes; and she was helpless to stop it.

Samus centered herself as the battering ram of flesh and steel bore down on her, eyes snapping open - she surged forward, equaling and surpassing his speed in an impossibly short amount of time, headed to collide. They crashed into each other in a mess of limbs and biotic fields, the shotgun went off and an animal low echoed throughout the room as the violence ceased as suddenly as it had began...

Ashley saw what had happened first, everything below the Krogan's waist was hanging by a few gory threads of meat and bone, Samus having swept a warp covered fist through his abdomen, carroty blood drenching her armour. She untangled herself, prising the gun from her side where it had gone off, a large patch of her armour was a shiny white sheen as the Non-Newtonian fluid had actually cracked. Blood seeped out of her ribcage but she could already feel her unique reaction to medi gel taking affect.

The Krogan groaned in agony from the floor, Liara was breathing heavily in astonishment and all the while the ruins began to give way. Samus placed her foot on the Krogan's hump, seized the rim of the armour then punched cleanly through it's back with another warp fist until her shoulder was buried in the creature, her arm sticking cleanly out of his mouth and releasing a wave of clear conductive fluid that washed the orange plasma away. Bracing her foot against the corpse, she pulled her arm clear: "What are you all looking at? Come on, lets go!"

Leaving the Battlemaster and his cohorts to a fiery grave, the team rushed to the barrier curtain as it was brought down, sulfur clouds billowed in, causing those in front to raise their hands in protection while Liara coughed from the fumes, the heat was greater than ever before and everything was tinged red due to the lava bubbling up from below. Samus tore out an emergency re-breather mask from her kit and handed it to the Asari doctor, then they all ran for their lives, Geth on the lower walkways that had escaped from the initial eruption added to the danger as they loosed rockets and jets of plasma at the fleeing squad, oblivious to any danger as they were melted or entombed.

Samus led them to a crossroads, then began to gesture them past her, Wrex stubbornly refused to let her go last. "Just go! I'll be -" With a heavy groan a vast stalactite fell away above them, Samus pushed Liara and Wrex clear with biotics then dive rolled backwards. The vast rock formation plowed straight though the man-made material, grazing the former bounty hunter as it crashed into the lava and drove the liquid higher. Samus slid down the twisted metal and plummeted over the side, managing to grab onto the rock face, banging her armoured chin and tearing her still-healing wound open. Fighting the pain, Samus climbed desperately, lava practically at her heels, she was taking too long and she knew it.

Another stalactite dropped from the collapsing ruin, Samus pulled herself in as it sped past, nearly ripping her off her purchase, it splashed into the flow more sluggishly than before and then Aran saw her chance. She wall-jumped back and forth, kicking off both sides of the wall and the sinking stalactite, ascending higher and higher out of hell. Her final kick toppled the earth spike, she began to run up its length as it leveled out, she reached the top, it was going to plunge into the lava.

But Samus leapt as only the last child of the Chozo could, arcing through the thick smog for nearly twenty feet, rolling to increase her forward motion then stretching out to fall just short of the walkway.

And for a large Krogan hand to seize her wrist. She gripped his wrist back as she laughed with joy and renewed life. "I've got you Commander!" Wrex hollered as he heaved her up, to her amazement and disappointment the entire team was waiting as well!

"Not that I don't appreciate it guys but we've got to get to the Normandy! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!"

And move they did, haring up the metal planks as the caverns finally gave way and a pyroclastic flow of super-heated ash, rubble and molten rock tore after them. They took the main exit, a huge pipe that seemed to be at an impossibly steep gradient considering the circumstances, Samus barreled Josh and Liara forward, Tali and Ashley were in the lead, Wrex in the middle, they could see sunlight ahead.

The group burst free from the catacombs, some tumbling down the steep slope to the lava fields stretching out across the plateau. The upheaval finally culminated in a major eruption. A deluge of lava roared upwards as the opposite side of the mountain was completely destroyed and rained down among the six survivors. Samus spied the Geth ship being consumed in the cataclysm, no crew to pilot it away from the blast zone. She covered Liara with her body as a hail of fire smashed into pieces around them. Then that blessed sound of the Normandy echoed over the land, Joker brought her in low, the lava flow searing her wings with soot in a classic Fulton recovery extraction run.

"Synch shield emitters!" She called to her allies as they spread out in a far apart, diagonal line, practically hopping across the scorching crust, Normandy was dragging a wave of molten rock in its slip stream, if they missed, it was all over. "Do you trust me?" She asked Liara, the scientist nodded frantically as they ran, "good, because this is going to get pretty crazy."

Running full-out, each member of the team hopped off the ground one after the other and was snatched up by the gravitonic field emitters, latching on to the underside of the garage roof, Samus couldn't even hear Liara's scream as she jumped last, her legs powering them both off the ground, the Asari had both arms wrapped around her but the force nearly ripped them apart as the Gs captured and slammed them none too gently into the cushioned ceiling pad right next to Fredericks. The pyroclastic flow reached upwards, trying to consume the tiny ship in the great cloud.

Wind-resistance tore through the cargo bay as the Normandy powered upwards and out of danger, the deployment door ground shut and everyone slumped off the ceiling pads and onto the floor. Immediately swamped by crew members eager to help, Chakwas, Garrus and Adams were all fretting while Liara sat down on a crate and tried to slow her racing heart, Samus knelt next to her and removed her weapons and de-pressurising helmet, Liara's heart began to quicken again upon seeing the woman in the flesh for the first time. Pictures in the news didn't do her credit.

"Welcome aboard Dr. T'Soni."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Was it exhilarating? It certainly was for me writing it! I know, I know, next time a _whole_ chapter will be devoted to crew interaction, considering I omitted some of the promised ones at the end of the last chapter! :( But oh well, its all good, don't take my word for it though, let me know what you think. I respond to all and every reviewer who poses questions, I'm happy to answer! Until next time, LawrenceSnake out!**


	19. Getting to Know the Crew

**A/N: I'M BAAAAACK! A friend joked that ME3 should have ended like **_**Independence Day**_**, I almost wish it had. Still, the dream is over and it's been two months of denial, sorry for the huge wait but my regular updates will now return with a vengeance for both my ongoing stories. Thank you to everyone for your patience and a BIG shout-out thank you to Vohlm my good sir! For reminding me I have to catapult an extended plot point forward with some promising statistics; and a familiar but long absent face...Enjoy everyone! **

_"With every friend I love who has been taken into the brown bosom of the earth a part of me has been buried there; but their contribution to my being of happiness, strength and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world."_

_(Helen Keller) _

**Getting to Know the Crew**

After the ground team and their new member had had a hefty drink of water to replenish precious minerals lost in the sweaty heats of Therum; the Commander had sent off her report to the Council, then assembled her squad in the Comm. room. Dressed in her civvies with a plain officer's jacket thrown over them.

Liara sat between Wrex and Garrus, with Tali on the latter's right, while Ash and Kaidan, the two highest-ranking officers of the Alliance Marine team – sat together on the opposite side of the room. It was not lost on Samus that the sides had been chosen deliberately; _"one more thing for me to work on."_ She mused, taking up a stance over her people at the holographic relay terminal.

"_Too close Commander,"_ reminded Joker over the intercom, he had been telling her constantly how close his baby had come to destruction in the lava they had left behind. She let him vent, as was his way.

"_Another second and we would have been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes, they tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull; Just for, future reference." _

"We nearly died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Said Liara somewhat unsure of the exact meaning of the helmsman's remarks but obviously shocked at Jeff's lack of formality.

"It's a coping mechanism," Garrus assured her, causing Joker's estimation of the hard-ass Turian to drop in his regard.

"Yeah," consoled Wrex from her other side, "Joker can be a real ass, just try to ignore him."

"_What! Is it picking on Joker day now?" _replied Jeff with a suitably scathing and sarcastic come-back. Aran decided an intercession was necessary.

"All right people, Joker pulled our asses out of the fire; I think he's got the right to a few _bad _jokes."

"_Aw, you do care Commander." _

"Joker..." She warned.

"_Right, right! We're passing through a meteor field now, let me know if you, oh God. I'm breaking up – czcczzczzzz, too much static,_ _got to pull off some crazy manoeuvres here, over – and out." _

Aran sighed at Joker's childish antics while the rest of the crew chuckled appreciatively, only Liara still seemed perturbed.

"I see," she continued, "it must be a Human thing. I do not have a great deal of experience dealing with your species Commander, but I am grateful, those Geth would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren."

"Do you know why he's after you, or the Conduit?" Quested Kaidan tiredly, presumably suffering from another one of his L2 Amp-related migraines.

"I'm afraid not," Liara replied, her voice laden with worry. "My field is Prothean archaeology; that is my real area of expertise. There is remarkably little hard evidence on the Prothean extinction, as if someone came along and wiped out all traces of their culture –"

Samus listened raptly, certain that Saren had slipped up big time in losing the Matriarch's daughter to the crew of the Normandy. She had read many of T'Soni's journals on the matter that lay at the heart of the Reaper threat, how had the Protheans, masters of the cosmos and creators of the mass relays fallen to the eldritch beings that waited patiently in the dark?

"The most interesting thing I discovered in my research was that this cycle of destruction seems to have repeated itself numerous times, whatever race was originally behind this, they don't want the answer to be solved. So I have dedicated the last fifty years of my life to finding out who; and why."

"Fifty years? Just how old are you exactly?" Asked Ash bluntly, Samus refrained from face-palming in mortification at the Chief's audacity; Liara blushed a deep shade of purple and answered with evident discomfort.

"It shames me to admit it, but I am only a hundred and six."

"Damn! I hope I look that good at your age!" Continued Ashley in a similar vein; obviously trying to break the ice but doing a piss-poor job of it.

"Chief..." presaged Samus, "let her finish."

"Sorry Skipper."

"It's quite alright Commander," Liara declared, "because of my youth many of my peers in the scientific community have not given my research the attention it deserves. To them I am little more than a child in Asari terms."

"And, your work and theories disprove a fundamental precept that most Scientists hold; that the Protheans crafted the mass relays." Finished Samus deep in thought, after a few seconds, she decided to bring forward the most compelling proof they had.

"I hope I speak for all of us here," she looked around at her squad then directed her next words at the doctor, "but we believe the Protheans were wiped out by a race of sentient machines: The Reapers."

Liara seemed to be at a loss for words at the outlandish concept, finally, with some stumbling she inquired: "The – Reapers? But I have never heard about...Where's the corroboration? What evidence do you have?"

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime," the Commander expounded, "it burned a vision into my brain, I'm still trying to sort out what it all means. But the underlying message was clear enough, every race that has ever existed in this Galaxy has been culled by synthetics for millennia; many of your colleagues have theorized that the relays are far older than they appear after all."

"Yes, but they've all been denounced as crack-pots for the most part Commander," added Garrus unhelpfully.

"Maybe, but the relays...The Citadel, it all feels _wrong_. No-one knows how Mass Effect drive really operates, do we? Not the intricacies, not the minutiae, not the full, comprehensive, _facts_ of what this technology is capable of, or where it's going."

"This is all very fascinating Shepard but this isn't helping us find Saren," reminded Wrex sternly.

"He's not _the_ major player here Wrex, something else; something with far more power and influence is pulling the strings, making Saren dance to its tune."

"Something more dangerous than a rogue Spectre?" remarked Tali incredulously.

"His flagship," Samus explained. "It matches the vessels I've seen in the beacon's recording, Arterius somehow found a relic of that last war, a Reaper Capital Ship, more powerful than anything the Turians or the Asari could muster. If this machine survived fifty thousand years...Who's to say that there aren't more of them out there, or those that crewed them among the dark spaces?"

Everyone was unusually sombre as they reflected on the magnitude of the threat facing them, Liara broke the silence.

"Commander, do you mean to hypothesize that the Reapers as a people still live?"

"That's a moot point doctor, they're synthetics, and the ship itself would have contained Reaper programmes, without getting my hands on any coding I can't determine for instance whether they possess sentience; or that they are indeed a dead race. Let's hope it's the latter, for all our sakes."

"How can you be sure of all this Shepard?" Tali questioned again.

"Call it a gut instinct, Tali. Call it female intuition. Call it bullshit, I don't care, what matters is this. Saren's motives make no sense; it's our job to discover them."

Liara piped up again, "Subtle patterns of the truth - it's the same for my work. I have heard of these beacons Commander, most found have been inactive but to find and acquire a working one, even badly damaged, is worth almost any risk. It's no wonder the Geth attacked Eden Prime."

"How do they expect to decipher the warning then?" asked Samus searchingly.

"Well they were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology, whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear."

"Believe me; it's pretty damn clear when you see it."

"To have been exposed to these imprints is...I am – _amazed_ you were able to make any sense out of it at all. Records have shown that lesser minds were utterly destroyed by the process, you must be remarkably strong willed Commander."

Samus felt oddly thrilled at the compliment, wait, what?

"Sounds like you want to dissect her in a lab somewhere!" Chortled Ashley, arousing some laughs from around the room and causing Liara to look mortified at her social faux pas.

"Forgive me, I merely meant – my scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I must reiterate, I do not have any information that will lead you to the Conduit; or Saren. But allow me to accompany you, my knowledge of the Protheans may prove invaluable."

Samus straightened up from her leaning post and spoke for all assembled: "Arterius wanted you out of the picture; everything will be more secure for you if you come along with us."

"Thank you, Commander. He may try to capture or kill me again and I cannot think of a safer place to be than here on your ship." Standing up and looking around at the ground team Liara seemed a little braver than before.

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts," added Wrex, giving her an encouraging smile which looked like a feral grin.

"Good to have you on the team Liara," Samus smiled genuinely, welcoming her officially to the Normandy, the crew likewise gave their approval and the Commander sent the scientist down to the med bay to be checked up by Karin after the tiring adventures of the day; while she made an in-person report to the Councillors on the highest priority Comm. Buoy afforded to the Spectres.

The holographic images of the Councillors all flared into life with not the slightest hitch of short-term lag.

"Commander Shepard, we've received your report. I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy," announced Tevos in her amicable manner.

"I assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" interjected Sparatus curtly, Samus avoided rising to his bait.

"Saren's people aren't reclusive civilians, Councillor. That doesn't fit the modus operandi of the agents I've encountered and I'm more than capable of dealing with natural biotics, but your _concern_, is appreciated." Sparatus grimaced unpleasantly while Samus closed her eyes as if she had taken great pleasure in defusing the irate Turian. "Besides," she reminded him, "the Geth were trying to kill her."

"Benezia would never allow Saren to harm her daughter," mused Tevos quietly.

"Maybe she doesn't know," Valern supplemented.

"Or maybe we don't know her," projected Sparatus sternly, "we never expected she could become a traitor."

"At least the mission was a success –" Began Valern, but Sparatus cut him off.

"Apart from the complete destruction of a major Prothean ruin; was that really necessary Shepard?" He posited aggressively.

Samus turned to face him slowly as if she hadn't heard correctly: "Victory at any cost Councillor, maybe you've forgotten that with your tenure as an armchair warrior, _we_ barely got out of there alive."

Sparatus looked ready to explode but Valern intervened, "of course Commander, the mission must always take priority."

"Good luck Commander," finished Tevos before Sparatus and Samus could come to more verbal blows; "remember, we are all counting on you."

* * *

><p>The following days were one's of great activity, surveying planets for mineral resources and Prothean relics throughout the Traverse kept the Normandy's crew busy while Samus conversed with her myriad team members. She often gave command and oversight to Kaidan or Fredericks regarding salvage operations, with Tali offering technical support and Liara studying any more obscure finds that were discovered in a make-shift lab towards the rear of the medical deck.<p>

Sitting in the co-pilot's chair, Samus helped Joker study some scans, she was slightly taken aback at her helmsman's hushed manner – he wasn't even humming! But the blessed silence couldn't last.

"I'd prefer gold to silver, you know, for my medal, figured you'd recommend me for one since I pulled your boots out of the fire."

Aran sniffed amusedly, then retorted playfully: "If we give you a medal you'll have to sit on a stage while politicians make speeches in your honour for hours on end, hmm?"

Jeff looked horrified at the very thought, "yeah, they might even make me _shave_, been working three months on this baby," he said while stroking his cropped beard. "No medal is worth that."

"I was just thinking how much you reminded me of Santa Claus."

Samus noticed that Liara, and to a lesser extent Tali, were both painfully shy of the skeleton crew, often eating alone and more taken with being by themselves, inundated with data discs and technical specs rather than conversing.

By her very nature, Aran was an insular, introspective character, she could almost remember the days when she had been appallingly awkward around people, a pariah due to her alien upbringing. Gradually that scared girl had given way to the supremely confident, self-assured hunter that had been feared from all quadrants of the Universe.

She realised it was not fair to expect the same of the relatively inexperienced Asari and Quarian; she was ten times older than the two of them put together! She had had mentors, wise teachers and centuries to adapt and hone her mind; to fully comprehend the violence and injustice of the world.

All her experiences had exhausted her fight or flight instincts in the face of danger, she resolved to gift that to her least acclimatised comrades, she could hopefully show them the path to resolve and enlightenment, it would destroy their innocence, but that was always the first casualty of war.

Before she had even decided on this course of action the team had looked up to her, idolized her poise, her dignity, her self-deprecation and of course, her skill in combat. There was not a time when Garrus didn't watch Samus and how she reacted in moments of crisis, how she treated the people under her, how she carried herself when in the field.

Wrex was sworn to her, inspired by her valour and ruthlessness, her tenacity and candour. He secretly admired the Commander greatly and was ready to lay down his life if need be.

Tali was excessively humble around her Captain, a loyal soldier of a more selfless character Samus had never known and her mechanical expertise, though not as comprehensive as the Commander's, put her to shame for one so young. She found herself taking on a kind of big sister relationship with the pilgrim, drilling her in close-quarters disarms, brute-force hacking and other survival techniques.

Then there was Liara, many of the Alliance crew were giving her the cold shoulder despite her helpful tendencies, the hard luck of being related to a traitor. Kaidan was always sympathetic and ready to explain protocol or Human mannerisms which were often lost on her.

"What do you think of our newest member of the crew Alenko?" She asked during chow time while on route to Sharjila for a rescue op. A high-ranking Asari diplomat, Nassana Dantius, had personally requested her aid over a secure channel and the fee had been most generous, including top-level access to Armali client lists and share holders.

"Dr. T'Soni?" he replied casually. "She seems nice, if you like the bookish sort."

"Just remember, I saw her first Lieutenant," she informed him roguishly.

"They...do say that Asari are – open, to that kind of thing, Commander," he said haltingly, his face falling somewhat.

Being an orphan herself, Samus endeavoured to discover as much about her squad's families as she could, Tali's distant Admiral of a father, Ashley's rambunctious sisters and Liara's seemingly benign mother who played the political game and had been ensnared by the rogue Spectre for unknown purposes.

The Huntress began to instruct Liara and Tali with more and more responsibility during spec ops, increasing her firm but fair regimen so that they both could cope with fighting alongside the three terrifying veterans of Wrex, Garrus and their Commander.

Over the following week, they smashed the slaver ring on Sharjila, killing the diplomat's sister in the process, she had led the band of cut-throats after all; words were going to be exchanged with Ms. Dantius as Samus came back on board with a dark thundercloud above her head.

An unofficial fight club began in the gym quarters beneath the cargo bay, with Samus overseeing her marines duke it out, encouraging some gambling to keep up morale, though everyone quickly learned to put money on Vakarian whenever he could pull himself away from his calibrations and get into the ring.

* * *

><p>Eventually, it was time to return to the Citadel to conduct more dealings and make more connections. Something she had not had time to do with her fellows in Special Tactics and Recon since Tower informers and Journalists from every news outlet had been dogging her steps.<p>

Stepping of the Normandy with most of the crew for a two day shore leave, Samus was immediately accosted by a grumpy Rear Admiral Mikhailovich of the 63rd Scout Flotilla, who was here to make a snap inspection of the vessel. He proved more irate upon noticing that the XO was not even in Alliance fatigues, let alone dress blues, and didn't deign to offer a salute to her superior officer.

"Was there something you wanted Admiral, I have urgent business with the Council," she crossed her arms, standoffish.

"Shepard you may be a Spectre to the aliens but to me you're just another junior officer, be respectful!" He barked in annoyance.

"Funny thing about respect Admiral, people always think they deserve it; never realising that it has to be earned."

"How dare you! I – this ship was slated for my unit after shakedown, but then the Council got their claws, paws; tentacles, whatever, they got their hands on this ship. And you."

"I'm outside the chain of command now, _Peter._ It's by _my_ grace that I still advocate Alliance aims and conduct undercover operations for Hackett – so don't presume to tell me where my loyalties lie."

The Rear Admiral scoffed derisively as they walked along the docking bay, the citadel arms stretching out above them and below. "Do you still know what colour your blood is, _Aran_?"

The insult hit home but Samus was too wise to seize the man by his throat for such a slight. Mikhailovich opened his mouth to speak again: "I don't begrudge the politician's decision to throw you to the Council, it's an _opportunity_." He turned and gestured with the air of one disgusted at the hull of Normandy. "I _do_ begrudge this over-priced piece of tin though."

"Whether you disprove of the Normandy's design or not is irrelevant, if you have a problem with her send it up to the joint military chiefs, but this ship is leased to the Council and is under my jurisdiction until_ they_ say otherwise."

"Sophistry, Commander. You know I'm right! This thing cost the Alliance _fourteen billion_ credits, for the same price we could have had a heavy cruiser! But _no_, we have to make nice with the Turians, throw money at a co-developed _boondoggle_. Normandy is an _Alliance _warship Commander and I'm here to make sure she's up to snuff." As much as Samus wanted to pull her Spectre rank on him, it would be more prudent for Mikhailovich to see the benefits of the Normandy's construction and unique functions.

"Sniff around all you like Admiral, I've got work to do, I'll meet you back here in an hour, I'm sure you'll have found everything in order."

"I'll just bet." He sneered condescendingly.

The Huntress discussed politics with Anderson and Udina on the Presidium, both men also informed her that the Feros colony in the Attican Beta Cluster had gone from reporting Geth scouts to going dark completely; making it their next point of call.

Some clipped words were exchanged with Nassana in the Presidium park, Samus warned the Asari that if she ever encountered her in hostile circumstances again, the meeting would end less favourably, Samus was an executioner, not an attack dog and prided herself on her professionalism, she hoped that one day a hit would be placed on the conniving blue bitch.

Then, it was on to the private offices deep within the Citadel tower, where Samus met several of her Spectre colleagues who were not working covertly, details were exchanged, the network expanded.

Retiring to a quantum entanglement communicator booth, Samus sealed the door with her omni tool and placed a holographic deadlock on the control panel that responded only to her biometrics.

Standing in the middle of the dark room two globules of golden light twinkled into being, they were the last two surviving Chozodian beacons belonging to the Nova Corvette, the other two having disappeared in dark space a few months prior.

They rotated around the room, scanning and projecting a holographic environment of incredible complexity while cyan radial shapes that traced blue sparks scanned around the huntress until she stood in a vast nebula cloud of star dust, nothing above or below but the endless void of space.

From out of this shimmering material formed the transparent likeness of a man, resolute and immoveable, pressed uniform and officer's cap completing the image of the unwavering military figure.

As she stepped close she could make out the angled face and firm gaze of her oldest friend, Adam Malkovich.

"My Lady," he bowed at the waist.

"It's been too long old friend," her expression crinkled in remembrance and Adam tipped his cap formally, smiling faintly. "I just met a suit with a name almost like yours, Peter Mikhailovich. He was a bit like you in the old days, so high-strung."

"There are no men like me, my Lady. Only me." Malkovich shrugged unassumingly.

"Well said, what news from beyond the Daiban relay?" She walked alongside Adam and the field of space swept by at an impossible speed until they stood looking at the small system and its one partially inhabited planet. Scars of mining and industrial foundries stretched along the upper hemisphere, fusion generators lit the sky and ship yards scurried with activity, Adam had been busy.

"It took me a whole solar cycle to get the labour plants up and running all by myself. Once the first mechs had come off the production line I set them to build fuel gel refineries in the mountains, since the only Afloraltite stores had to come from the Nova Corvette, production was slow, but steady. We have enough energy to run around three thousand vessels indefinitely and we're growing in strength every day. With whole undiscovered systems of raw materials to ourselves we can make the largest fleet in the Galaxy for you to do whatever you wish with."

Samus was breathless at Adam's initiative: "The androids you've created, they'll pilot all the war machinery? Act as infantry units?"

"Yes, there's currently around twenty million units, we've had to cut corners though, the Chozo nano-foundries allowed us to create specialist machinery for energy weapons and warp drives. But not in bulk, so a minority of units will have the more advanced tech; luckily for us, your connections came through. Components from major suppliers all over the Galaxy were shipped to Omega and collected individually by Shadow Broker Operatives, once we'd let the convoy's through the relay – time had to be spent capturing them, erasing their nav-computers co-ordinates, altering their memories chemically. That's why progress has been so slow even with all our resources."

"Any hiccups?" she posed.

"Huh, a Terminus pirate fleet discovered us around 2179, we didn't lose a single ship, plus we gained some free bits and pieces as well. Then there was the compiling of resources for the Super-Collider that will span the equator, creating stable but resonant Energon neutrons will be difficult but well worth it if we can incorporate it into our ship cores on a mass scale."

"The other beacons..."

"Gone, lost to whatever is awaiting us out there, but the back-up redundancies were all active, there's no way they could have copied our technology."

"That's something to be grateful for. Adam, I'm going to need several of your research outfits for a specific mission. The in-depth examination of the Daiban relay, on-site, up close, we need to know how to control these things."

"Consider it accomplished."

"Thank you Adam."

"You're welcome...Samus. Oh, before you go, I'm leaving one of the beacons with you. I've made some modifications that I hope you won't have to employ, but, better to be safe than sorry." The orb seemed to fuse into Aran's palm, highlighting the arteries, veins, nerves and bones in her left hand before dying away. "It's one use as well I'm afraid - so use it with discretion." Samus nodded in thanks then gestured at the hive of production before her.

"What you've done Adam...It's astounding, but it has to be kept secret, for the time being. Now that you and your people have constructed planet crackers and other mining vessels with warp drive we'll need some serious acceleration, because the races of this Universe are children playing with tech they can't truly understand – and the Reapers are coming."

* * *

><p>Samus walked along the docking bay filled with a sense of rare awe. So many plans had been laid; to see them pay off now was galvanizing. Adam had given her data on all the construction that had been underway and details of the mechanoid race he had dubbed the Trybondian, a Chozo dialect that translated as the 'sustainers.'<p>

"Commander, I'm not happy!" Snapped the Rear Admiral as he stepped out of the Normandy's docking tube; Samus looked askance then replied friendlily:

"There are elements of the Normandy's design that you disagree with?" Mikhailovich had evidently not been expecting an accommodating response as he opened his mouth angrily, only to snap it closed in confusion, then, the railing began.

"Who designed that CIC, it's too far back, what if the XO needs to carry an order to the bow during combat?"

Samus smiled congenially, "there are no amateurs on this ship Admiral, they know to keep idle chatter to a minimum when at knife-range – and I can bellow with the best DI's."

"A fair point, I suppose the ship-design has no chance of becoming standard, but I had to shake my head at that drive core of yours. Two and a half _billion_ credits of element zero; just to make this thing fly without giving itself away!"

"With the IES we can loiter in an enemy system undetected, make covert drops on stronghold worlds," she explained patiently. "The Normandy-Class could be even more effective than the Salarian STG if utilized correctly."

"Perhaps, but the job of an Alliance warship – is to find and destroy the enemy fleet! Not count how many times their garrison goes to the bathroom!" Nothing Peter could say would damper Samus's mood as he blathered on. "And we need to talk about your crew: Asari, Quarian, Krogan, TURIAN! What are you thinking Commander? You can't allow alien nationals aboard this ship."

"Why?"

"Why?" He spluttered, "because - because it's not respectable that's why! What if they're trying to steal our military secrets?"

"It was _co-developed_ Mikhailovich. The Turians could have sold the specs to _any_ Council military and I wouldn't give a damn. What you really care about are _my_ allies, I trust each and every one of them with my own life and the welfare of this ship, now would you please stop badgering me about things you've got no control over in the first place?" Mikhailovich seemed to be on the verge of arguing the point, but he let it drop, sighing in admittance of defeat.

"Very well, I will be submitting a report to the Joint Chiefs. It will not be as, _negative_, as I'd planned. Good hunting Commander, make us proud!" He saluted her and Samus returned it favourably, watching as he left.

All was quiet, Aran turned around, she was faced with her alien squad mates who had just elected to leave the ship together; they were all at a loss for words.

"You guys heard all that?" They nodded in unison and chorused affirmatives. "Well don't spread it around; I have a reputation to uphold you know!" She laughed mellifluously.

"Didn't know you were such a big softy Shepard," Wrex chuckled as the squad joined her.

"I do a better job of hiding it than you, weren't you telling bedtime stories to Tali last night?" Garrus chortled alongside her and the big Krogan looked rather bashful, Tali scuffed her toe against the ground coyly while Liara hung onto every word as if she were taking notes.

A night out at Flux was on the agenda, Wrex downed a flagon of Krogan ale distilled from raw iridium and mixed into a cocktail called Ryncol in his native tongue. Tali and Garrus were enjoying each others company on the dance floor while Samus bought two glasses of wine and sat with Liara at a table overlooking the Wards.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself Liara," began Samus warmly, offering her the beverage which the doctor took gratefully.

"Me? I am afraid I am not very interesting Commander –"

"Stop right there, everyone is interesting Liara, don't feel the need to be overly reticent."

"Of course, well, I spent most of my time unearthing the mysteries of the past, working at ancient dig sites and museums all over the Galaxy."

"We've got a passionate one here," noted Samus, bright-eyed. Liara beamed at her accurate observance.

"I _love_ my work; the Protheans were these _wondrous_, mystical figures. I wanted to know everything about them. My mother didn't take kindly to my interests; a lot was expected of me as a matriarch's daughter, so I had to get away from all that."

Samus sipped her wine, a faraway look in her eyes, "my first memory is of rebelling against my parents. I was always off running through the forests around our colony, getting into all kinds of mischief, I was _three years_ old. We _all_ rebel against our parents; it's a natural part of growing up."

"Hah! I see you share the wisdom of the Matriarch's, Shepard. That is _exactly_ what Benezia told me when I told her of my calling. So what about you? Do you have any academic interests?" Liara leaned forward expectantly and Samus felt the sudden urge to do something reckless.

"Well, I'm something of a linguist in my spare time, studying languages both alive and _thought_ dead, you might not believe it but I've seen my fair share of lost civilizations..." Liara was hooked at 'study.'

"Really? Could I –" Samus opened her omni tool and budged her chair around their reserved table, showing Liara a holo image of Chozo glyphs.

"This, you wrote this yourself?" Wondered Liara out loud.

"Yes, but it was my Grandfather who taught me the language, this is a hacking and disruption programme – encoded within the corresponding runes for binary digits."

"Incredible! The calligraphy, the deftness of style, and the markings! I can see the dashes that correspond to a break in the individual words, just like Ancient Greek. Is that...A signature?"

"Right on the money, you may have seen that particular set of scribbles before right?" Liara did a double-take, then clapped her hands once in glee.

"I knew it! It was you who wrote that paper on xenotechnology in the Serrice Archaeological Journal! You credited my work as some of the finest in the field!" She shook her fair head in amazement. "It was those same runes after the bibliography; that recognition got me the Therum work placement!"

"That wasn't my intention to put you in such risk, sorry about that," started Samus quickly, Liara waved it off, breathless and animated now more than she had ever been before.

"Forget about it Shepard! I never thought I'd actually meet you, intellectuals follow your pursuits as much as professional soldiers, the papers you've drafted are astounding!"

"Please, you discovered the incongruities in the Prothean extinction Liara; if anyone's going to be lauded tonight it's you. I trust you, and I know with abilities like yours, you won't let me down."

"That means a great deal to me Shepard. I have seen how your crew looks at me, they do not trust me. But I will do whatever I can to help you stop Saren, I swear it."

"Good, that's all I'm asking!" The new friends laughed together as they shared a toast while Samus put the Chozo codices away; promising to share more with her later.

Tali and Garrus came back breathless to sit down after their dancing antics.

"Good to see you in high-spirits Commander, you too Liara," began Garrus before he quaffed his chilled beer. Tali was abstaining because of her typically weak Quarian liver; though that didn't mean she wasn't the life and soul of the party.

"This place is great! The action, the music."

"Keeps the Keepers away at the very least," joked Garrus with effortless panache.

"I think I might find a copy and bring it back with me to the Flotilla."

"I'm sure your hopeful Captain would be overjoyed!" Ribbed Liara as best she could, Tali gave her a blank look. "I'm sorry Tali - I didn't mean to insinuate -"

"Calm down Liara," Tali assured her kindly, "I know you didn't mean any harm."

"Now you know why I spend so much time alone, I always manage to say something embarrassing around people." Garrus and the Commander toasted each others glasses with a sharp 'tink' while the Asari doctor and Quarian machinist gabbled on about home and other comforts. Wrex made a beeline for their table and squeezed in between Samus and Vakarian with two glass beer-steins of glowing green Ryncol.

"Move aside Turian, I've brought the Commander a drink worthy of her," he boomed, sliding the liquor over to her and watching intently; while Garrus eyed the drink over his wide shoulder as if it were a time bomb ready to go off. "If you can down this whole cup Commander, well, you've got yourself a convert for life!" The others broke off from their conversation as they noticed Wrex's bet, Garrus spoke up concernedly.

"Wrex, my visor's Geiger counter is picking up an unhealthy amount of beta particles."

"Pah! You can't even call yourself a warrior if you can't knock back a mild drink!"

"_This,_ is _mild_?" Choked Garrus, his eyes watered from the fumes alone and it wasn't even under his nose.

"Watch and learn Garry," Samus replied confidently as she took a measured gulp of the toxic beverage, it was strong, _really strong_. But she'd had worse, with Wrex's encouragement it took her under five minutes to finish it off, by which time she was starting to feel a slight tingling in her right hand, not to mention a sense of unbeatable cheeriness.

"Well done," congratulated Wrex, "now all you have to do is beat me in a drinking contest and I'll follow you to hell and back again!"

"You're on!" Samus and Wrex clinked their glasses, laughing jovially while Liara turned to Garrus.

"So Officer Vakarian? How does your new line of work compare to your old security job?" Garrus's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Traveling the Galaxy. Getting the chance to fight a rogue Spectre and his army of synthetics._ Billions_ of lives at stake. I'd say that beats C-Sec."

"Well I'm glad to see that the imminent destruction of organic life as we know it as heightened your career prospects," Tali elbowed him in good fun.

"Hey! I'm just a helpless optimist here Tali, and you should be careful if you want to get all _CQC_ on me, but don't worry, I'll protect you."

"Watch yourself Garrus, a few more drills with Shepard and I'll be surpassing you on that front as well."

"What front was that? Besides, you wouldn't want to risk your helmets faceplate being that up-close and personal," teased Garrus.

The team partied on for another good two hours, Wrex and Samus still trying to best one another in their endurance test. When the_ twentieth_ mug had been chugged; they were both near a drowsy shut down of sleep. It was then that Samus was interrupted by a chime on her omni tool. It was from a Lieutenant Girard of the Alliance security and customs detail manning the private docking bay, someone, evidently a member of the Normandy had to have given him her radio frequency. If so, it must have been for something important. She activated the transponder of her cochlear implant. Her friends stopped chatting to listen.

"Commander Shepard here, what can I do for you Lieutenant?" _Beat. _"What?" Samus was alert in an instant, her intoxication forgotten as she stood up at whip-lash speed, knocking Wrex's arm, and his drink nearly flying. "She's been a slave for the past thirteen years, is she mentally sound?" Everyone was paying attention now as Samus paced back and forth like a caged tiger, then: "I'm on my way."

"Shepard, what in Kruban's name is going on?" Demanded Wrex, as he and the others scraped their chairs back and got up frantically.

"There's a young girl in the docking bay, she's stolen a guard's weapon and is threatening to kill herself."

"Why does this unhappy event concern _you_ Commander?" Asked Liara cautiously, Samus schooled her features but couldn't help but let some sympathy slip past her emotional walls.

"She's from Mindoir." She stated simply, scanning her tab remotely to Doran's till, then she turned and left.

"Shepard's childhood colony," Garrus informed Liara somberly, the Asari considered running out to accompany her Commander.

"Shouldn't we go after her?"

"She would have asked us if that were the case," Wrex told her, "this is something she has to do by herself."

"Are you sure Wrex," asked Tali uncertainly.

"Positive, she doesn't need our help for what she intends to face. Now, whose going to be my next drinking partner?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **Next week we've got a change of perspectives, more Intel on Adam's expanding forces, Samus faces some ghosts that were better left to rest and the battle for Zhu's Hope begins! **


	20. Lethal Portents

**A/N: Sorry its a bit late guys, but my Dad has been hogging the computer on Sniper Elite V.2 so that didn't give me much time to write what with revision for A2's and all. So, lets address a problem that was present in all three Mass Effect games, the absence of the charismatic villain. Thank you all for the warm welcome back and lets get back underway with more lovely exposition, complimented by a side order of my patented combat passages!  
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_"No man's error becomes his own law; nor obliges him to persist in it."_

_(Thomas Hobbes)  
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**Lethal Portents **

"Lord Saren," announced Matriarch Benezia regally, who was currently absorbed in a red-holographic image of Sovereign, his flagship. The pair was standing in a large Geth Forward Operating Base along one of the Prothean sky-ways that made up the crumbling metropolis's that pitted the surface of Feros. The two leaders of the Heretic Geth conversed underneath a canvas while in the driving rain, their forces attending to make-shift encampments and field works despite their isolation; three Geth drop ships were latched to the colossal skyscraper and the odd lightning bolt scoured the sky, illuminating the rogue agent and his formidable army.

"Both battalions sent to Therum have not reported in," continued Benezia, she wore commando leathers and a long hooded cape to protect her from the weather, Saren was still clad in his gunmetal grey armour with a black underlay, motorized joints serving to augment his strength prodigiously, thankfully, apart from the biotics he had not undergone any more physical 'enhancements.'

"It seems that Commander Shepard now has my daughter under her protection, our tower informers reported the Normandy's safe berth with the Citadel." Saren's dull synthetic eyes seemed to glow faintly, his assassins had failed him and now a task force of over two hundred Geth platforms had gone the same way, but he decided to reign in the anger that was not his own.

Deactivating the hologram he rose to his towering stature and turned to his second in command: "Shepard will soon find her way here, we need to acquire the information from the creature Exo-geni unearthed and purge th – AHH!"

Saren stumbled as his Reaper-tailored biotic implants flared up, tracing a band of hot needles from the ports in the back of his skull, all the way down his spine as the visions became too vivid for the specialised wet-drive implanted into his brain.

"Shiala!" The Matriarch called to one of her Asari acolytes, many of which were also accompanying the main force. "You know what to do." The young Matron hurried forward, placing both hands on Saren's temples as he endured the unpleasant spasms the beacon imprints caused. A biotic corona flared from her palms and Saren began to relax as the minor melding caused the vision to subside.

Rather than display thanks he pushed the Commando away with one hand, disgusted at the display of weakness, his organic trunk and limbs were shaking with irregular palpitations and the whispers of Sovereign scraped through his inner ears, tingling his fangs with the taste of metal.

Mastering himself Saren spoke clearly: "Benezia, half of your followers are to prep the way for your arrival on Noveria. Tartakovsky and Cohen have recovered the payload which the Volus cargo freighters logs so _kindly_ directed us to." He snapped on a large silver vambrace to his right arm as well as his HMW pistol to his left hip. "They are running conditioning tests on the control-group and have the mother in isolation; I'll need your oversight there in a few weeks in case anything goes wrong, which, knowing those Human fools is quite likely. For now, re-group with Sovereign in the Armstrong Nebula; make sure our forces are ready for the eventual incursion."

"As you command my Lord," Benezia nodded placidly, signalling her Asari troops who followed her down the walk-way to the docked ships – leaving around nine Commandos to remain with Saren.

Shiala helped to configure the biotic nodes in Saren's arms, not being a natural wielder of dark energy Saren's abilities with manipulating the gravitonic fields were limited at best; he relied on his martial abilities and gun play for the most part but was able to throw out an endless supply of blunt biotic force at a pinch if need be.

The Spectre and his cohorts took one ubiquitous gunship over to the main colony wrought as it was by thunderstorms in the dead of night. There, a team of Exo-geni's scientists assigned to the main colony, Zhu's Hope met them in the main square. A converted freight ship that served as housing had been lifted up by an industrial crane to reveal a passageway leading deep into the earth.

The representative of the all-Human science team was a mewling official called Ethan Jeong, the kind of man Saren would have taken great pleasure in disemboweling if he didn't need Exo-geni's co-operation – for now. The five of them were all dressed in dark anoraks and carrying unlit omni tool torches.

"Saren Arterius!" Gushed Jeong sycophantically, "it's an honour to meet such a distinguished man as yourself, and such a generous backer of our research!" He proffered a hand but Saren did not even look at it, instead giving the small Asian man a death glare, Jeong nearly soiled himself as he wisely got to the matter immediately at hand.

"The colonists are all asleep so we won't be disturbed, your people will need to wear re-breathers, the spores have to be breathed in to latch onto the nervous system and I'm sure none of us would want that, ahahaha!...Errr..."

Saren was stroking his handgun absently to act as an appropriate motivator, while his bodyguards accepted and put on their re-breathers he silently refused his. The nanites Sovereign had injected into his internal organs rendered him immune to toxins of any nature and he wanted to scare Jeong into realising who he was dealing with.

"Now we haven't been able to communicate with the creature as of yet but we've collected many unique genetic samples and have sent a variety of gestation pods to our facility in the Nodacrux System for further experimentation. Of course we were limited in the beginning to off sight observation but we felt that..."

He was only half-listening to the little-man babble on as they descended down into the belly of the beast, white beams of light illuminating the walls slick with moss. Saren was wary of what Sovereign had told him, this being was the last to effectively commune with the ancient Protheans, meaning that it was their only chance to gain the ancestral memories of their heritable culture; a mental programme that could effectively translate the beacon's message after a period of familiarization and steer them ever closer to the Conduit.

All that would be left after that would be the messy task of killing every man and woman in the colony, destroying the creature, and securing all of Exo-geni's classified research data.

The wet, pitch black underground chamber smelled of compost and rotting flesh, the putrescence did nothing to off-set the Spectre but several of the Humans coughed in spite of their masks, turning up the filter dials to recycle their own air and block out the rank stench.

An echoing, slumber-like moan traveled through the tunnel but Saren marched forward relentlessly, his synthetic eyes picking up minor light-waves and amplifying them. The large group entered the main room, where the light was slightly brighter, reflecting of the shiny matter. Some of the Asari gasped out loud and even Saren stopped dead at the sight of the plant/animal hybrid that Exo-geni had dubbed 'The Thorian,' their flashlights dancing around the grotesque 'thing' that inhabited the chamber.

It was a gargantuan, sedentary beast composed of a vile, brownie-green mottled hide that swelled and contracted grossly several metres above them. The balloon-like bulk stretched to fill about a hundred square metres and was literally suspended over a dark, bottomless pit by thick tendrils of pulpy, unidentifiable muscle tissue twining into thick cords.

Then there was the ghastly 'face' of the sentient being, a blubbery tumour of paler flesh that gave off the sickening waves of its reeking aroma through a ropey, tendril drooping hole that passed for a mouth. The eyes were the worst though; a collection of filthy, dirt-encrusted, blind orbs that pulsed like boils ready to pop.

Saren had never been more repulsed in his life, the gorges of several around him were rising and Jeong once again spoke up bravely.

"As you can see, due to the Thorian's immobile nature it requires servile 'thralls' to bring it sustenance, otherwise it enters into a period of hibernation to survive. Several of our people were, uh. _Turned_ into monstrosities, who then began trying to spread the spores or kidnap other science personnel to feed it to –"

"Enough." Stated Saren with a note of finality, "natural biotics such as the Asari are capable of interfacing with any organic creature mentally, we just need to find out how; I will take it from here Jeong, I funded your little excursion...I didn't expect you to hand over samples to Jack Harper's outfit though."

"Who?" Queried Jeong – completely at a loss as Saren turned to glower at him.

"That's right; you never would have heard the name, _Cerberus,_ Jeong. I'm very disappointed in you."

"Now wait one second Saren! They had Alliance connections, it was a mutual trade! I – I don't understand why you'd be upset about that."

"You never will, suffice to say; you and your people have outlived your usefulness. Shiala!"

The leader of the Commandos stepped up to receive orders.

"Take three of your colleagues and escort Mr. Jeong and his people back outside, don't make too much noise."

"You can't do this Saren!" Yelled Jeong shrilly just before he was gripped in a partial stasis field and dragged by his collar to the exit, there was a scuffle, but the Commandos quickly restrained and gagged the civilians and began to attach silencers to their weapons.

"Goodbye Jeong, a shame you didn't study the small print when you sold off those samples, you've unleashed a plague on the Galaxy that I don't have the time or the inclination to stop."

Alone, Saren approached the edge of the pit, noticing how the Thorian's mouth seemed to hang above the outcrop, as if ready for depositing something. Being a brutally straightforward man, the Turian Spectre stepped back a few paces, drew his pistol, and fired a single round into the flaccid mouth tentacles.

Green blood gushed from the raw wound but that was not all that was released. A sickly olive coloured embryonic fluid was purged from the orifice, increasing in volume until the legs, torso, arms and head of a body squelched out with the afterbirth and dropped onto the platform in front of Saren.

It was wiry muscled, three fingers and two toes like most of the Space-faring races, its head was a bizarre tetrahedron-like carapace which encased its pointed face, and skin-wise was dark jade in colour, a lighter shade of emerald dappled across his throat and chin. Most distinctively, it had four eyes, both with orange double pupils and jet black sclera, darting around dizzyingly before settling on the partial Meta-Turian.

"Suberata," the slimy nude alien croaked, "kala rumiden tala wajasca," the Spectre exhaled in a short exclamation of amusement, Sovereign had warned him there would be an ancient guardian that spoke for its master. They just had to relieve the Thorian of its mouthpiece to have a handle on the 'negotiations.' "Zuxu harak FAGARE!" It roared, evidently angry. Saren realised with a sudden sense of exhilaration that the reason he could not understand the being was because no-one had ever been spoken to in Ancient Prothean before; the resemblance to the slavers residing near the Galactic Core was uncanny.

He also remembered that the lesser thralls could live up to and including a hundred thousand years while in hibernation, this Prothean clone wouldn't be the only threat present tonight. The Asari Commandos noticed plant matter bubbling from cracks in the walls and gestation pods beginning to stretch and come apart like jelly. This was going to get bloody.

Saren thumbed the silent mode switch of his HMW, feeling the trusty war-painted hand cannon deploy its internalized suppressor, as skilled as he and his troops were, he didn't fancy his chances against three hundred armed and angry colonists.

Before the Prothean clone could even raise its lime-green biotic barrier Saren fired a round straight into its head, the silenced shot caused a massive exit would that exploded the organic head piece with a sickening 'crack' and flung the alien back over the crag to fall miles underneath the earth.

The Asari Commando squad immediately spread out and engaged the minor thralls as they were being birthed, they were sickly, emaciated beings that had bark-like skin, bald pates, sunken eyes and tendrils were their mouths should have been. Saren recognized them as one of the eldest 'dead' races, the Inusannon. Once a proud species, they had been driven into a Neolithic existence by the end of their Reaper war and had served the Protheans as a slave caste of menials and wild beasts fit only to be hunted or used as pets.

Saren used pin-point shots to immobilize several of the thralls, rounds punching through their lignified flesh as easily as one might split the gourd of a ripe fruit. They managed to swarm him up close; a rapid tripartite set of strikes from the Spectre tore them to shreds. Crippling backhand, talon hook, pistol-whip uppercut. Followed up with a concentrated biotic shock wave which pulverized the rest into mulch; allowing Saren access to the upper levels.

He raced up the derelict buildings stairs, using his synthetic eyes to scan for the Prothean's original internment pod. These allowed the Thorian to copy and replicate the subject's genetic structure, much like modern cloning facilities this quad strand of DNA had to come from a fresh bone marrow sample, destroy the sample and the Thorian would be helpless until it could take control of the colonists hundreds of feet above them and that would take time.

The whizzing sound of silenced shots echoed around the foundations as the six Commandos tore through the reckless charges of the Inusannon with biotics and gunfire. Eventually their greater numbers began to force the Asari back up the stairs and take defensive positions; so they didn't see the Thorian 'birth' another Prothean clone attempting to delay the Turian Spectre.

Letting a raucous war cry rip from his throat, Saren straight kicked one of the bony 'Creeper' thralls off the lip of the third floor then spun to face five others, from his silver gauntlet, a rarefied monomolecular staff composed of tungsten and woven with Element Zero channels extended telescopically.

Channeling a distortion field through the baton Saren smacked them aside as if he were reaping a field of wheat, their stalks were cut out from under them, falling pole-axed or smashed asunder with the viciousness of his blows.

The Prothean clone had managed to climb the outer pillar and leap at Saren while he was fighting the lesser thralls, latching onto his back and clasping the Turian under the armpits and around his temples in a head lock, with a flash of green biotic energy the second clone absorbed Arterius's assorted knowledge of language and fighting techniques by tactilely reading his genetic markers.

Growling in rage, Saren drove his right arms triceps into the clone's scaly face and forced it to release him, unable to get his staff to bear at such close range the Prothean managed to tackle him head on. Knocking the pistol from his grasp with a wrist bend slap followed up with a heel kick counter to Saren's eviscerating talon swipe and pushing him back further more with a head-butt ram / dunking manoeuvre. Trying to seize him around the thighs and plant him on his rear so it could effectively shank him with a biotic blade.

Before it could complete the move Saren kneed it in the chest with such force that his armours pointed shock absorber punctured its chest; then he brought his elbow down on its spine, severing the fifth vertebrae from the base of the creature's cranium with all the legendary fierceness he was renowned for.

Gibbering pathetically, the Prothean clone collapsed, paralyzed, at Saren's feet. Where it was an easy matter for the Spectre to crush his head into bone and brain soup under his booted foot; more of the Inusannon creepers were storming the stairs, the Spectre aimed his staff at the upper level and charged his attack – releasing the beam of biotic energy into the ceiling and bringing three tonnes of stone and steel down on their heads.

Given a moment to catch his breath Saren groaned as the pain of his eezo implants flared up coupled with the debilitating presence of Sovereign in the back of his mind, shaking it off he scooped up his pistol and turned his head to the ceiling. Scanning through the rock until he could see the two levels he was yet to traverse; it made sense the plant / animal being would place its primary agent in the most highly defensible position.

Down below, Saren's people were being overrun with Creeper reinforcements, the Thorian had kept a lot in reserve and was now releasing massive amounts of spores to more quickly convert the potential followers sleeping in the colony above, waiting to be enslaved. The Inusannon Creepers had managed to down two Commandos with claws and acidic vomit which only the most focused of biotic barriers could hope to block; the four remaining Asari warriors concentrated their efforts, managing to trap some of the hoard in a singularity.

Running at full speed Saren managed to ascend the last two stairs, holstering his pistol and activating the second function of his staff so that it unraveled into a lethal long sword. It seemed like an intricately grooved and partitioned Kukri knife, only much larger and wicked in character, with jagged, curved notches and the ability to channel dark energy into the shimmering silver and navy shaded steel.

As he reached the apex of the Thorian's lair he was met with a discouraging sight, three Prothean clones were waiting for him, they had climbed up the outer columns and lain in wait even as he'd battled the second one, all had primed their biotics, so Saren got stuck in without delay.

The sword concentrated Arterius's barrier into a smaller surface area, allowing him to deflect two throw fields and a reave attack back at the clones, scattering them as they dived for cover from the biotic explosion. Stone chip shrapnel flew in every direction but Saren ploughed forward, a flurry of sword swipes cutting off the closest one's cool-down, the Prothean managed to keep up for two seconds with his twin biotic blades before his guard faltered and Saren beheaded him with a counter riposte, swinging the blade behind and around his back to cut the kneeling corpse in half at the abdomen for style and security's sake.

The other two were still getting used to the absorption of so much bellicose skill and attacked Saren at the same time, inadvertently throwing off each others reave fields as Saren parried away smartly. He trapped both their blades together, and then swept down and up, forcing their arms skyward and apart, allowing him to execute a lightning fast consecutive kick which hammered them away in different directions.

Before the one who had crashed into the wall and been promptly stunned, could regain its balance, Saren brought the sword down in a two-handed vertical slice, bisecting its skull in a burst of gore. He followed up by kicking the creature off his weapon, skating blood and grey matter along with it as it scraped between the separated cranial bones.

"Die invader!" Screamed the final clone in perfect Turian, harrying Saren with a deranged set of strikes which forced the Spectre to retreat, once again Saren's practicality paid dividends as the Prothean pirouetted and leapt at the same time, trying to slash him to death in an unnecessarily flashy move that proved that the absorption of complex ideas via Prothean psychometry was not as accurate as they touted, Saren intercepted the assault with an idle brevity.

A biotic palm heel crashed into its chest, sending the clone flying back to the edge of the open floor and sliding along the concrete, stopping mere inches before the dead fall. Quickly regaining its feet, the Prothean attacked once more as Saren walked casually to meet his enemy.

He batted aside several of the clone's ineffective slashes, then gave him a Krogan kiss which staggered the four eyed alien, the clone swung wildly at the Spectre's throat in retaliation only for Saren to duck beneath the swipe and slam his blade home into the clone's stomach; wrenching the sword upwards beneath its rib cage.

Amazingly, the clone refused to die, trying to gore Saren through the inner ear with a hammer strike, the Turian leaned back, dodging, then stabbed it in the upper body with his left hand, proceeding to push his Teflon coated talons through three ribs until he could grab and squeeze the alien's right lung, the reflex caused the Prothean to cough a globule of blood up and abandon the attack, it couldn't raise its arms high enough, skewered as it was with the four sharp implements.

Retching helplessly, the clone stared blindly at Saren with its inverted colour eyes, clutching the Spectre's arms in a death grip. Saren's bony face was as ever, impassive. Caring nothing for the final genocide of the Prothean race he was about to complete, or so he thought. He tried to yank his sword free, the clone held on resolutely, gargling blood.

Before Saren could direct a warp through either arm the decision was made for him. The Prothean summoned its remaining strength and conjured a green field of fizzing biotic energy in its right hand; then, with unfathomable speed, the clone ran its palm through Saren's left shoulder until he unlocked the bones from the socket and severed every tendon through and past the armpit in a spray of blue dextro blood and melted black underlay.

Saren gasped in shock more than pain as the Prothean toppled over the side and fell off his sword, taking the Spectre's entire severed left arm along for the thousand foot ride. Arterius wobbled unsteadily as he tottered forward drunkenly; before righting himself just in time. The Reaper nanites clotted his blood in seconds and isolated the nerve endings with already evolving cybernetic pathways that bred from the multitude of Reaper biotic amplifiers; the problem of glial-tissue build-up had been solved centuries ago with breakthroughs in standard medical nanotechnology and the Reapers were much more advanced on this front.

Knowing that his job was not nearly finished, Saren walked lopsidedly to a large wall pod of bunched pink soft tissue, recognising it as the base structure of the clone templates. He raised his sword cane and released the collected distortion field into the tumour, causing it to explode in a mash of red and green bodily juices, then he hacked the root-like tubing free from the shattered corpse of one of the last Protheans.

The Thorian groaned in agony and rage as it was robbed of its flesh, now Saren was firmly in control. He turned to see the five remaining Asari Commandos come up an opposite stairwell and rush towards him, Shiala was among them.

"My Lord we've failed you," declared Shiala miserably. "Creepers ambushed us, Jeong managed to escape, he'll be on his way back to the Exo-geni headquarters now." Saren could barely contain himself from killing her right then and there, but she had her uses he thought slyly as his blade transformed into its staff form and retracted into his gauntlet.

"Inform Weyrloc Vogurn and his Krantt that they will lead the assault on Exo-geni's centre of operations. Tell them to leave no-one alive and acquire every data disc and back up file on Species 37. We don't want anything to remain that could lead Shepard back to us."

Shiala began carrying out the communications on the squad's long-distance transistor radio while Saren studied the pods workings with his minor implants. It seemed another slave would be needed to integrate into the Thorian's root network, one that could be cloned and then transfer the information straight into Saren's mind, Arterius smiled grimly; he could kill two birds with one stone.

"Seize her," he ordered the four other Commandos who all quickly pinioned Shiala's arms behind her and waited for their next command. "I'm sorry my dear, you are the most powerful biotic in your company, but you failed me. And therefore must suffer as a result; be safe in the knowledge that your sacrifice will save the Galaxy."

Before the tattooed Asari could protest he clouted her over the head with his pistol and watched her go limp. "Strip her and hook her up to the pod, clip the foam back together if you have to, it will regenerate of its own accord, I need to _talk _to the beast."

Descending to the basement level, Saren stood before the Thorian as Shiala screamed in agony from the upper floors upon her 'amalgamation' with the foreign biological matter. As soon as the Thorian could create another clone he would ply the Cipher from it under a conditional peace. Then, the colony and it's subterranean life form would be purged with fire and steel...

* * *

><p>The cool night air of the Citadel docking bay was accentuated by the long ramps that jutted out from the Presidium ring, it whistled through the breathable atmosphere of the mighty station up until the seven metre mark, which opened into vacuum and a cold end. Samus Aran walked with a grace born of aeons along such a walkway, the beauty of the Ward arms and the bustling traffic of lights flitting through the sparkling towers lost to her purpose. Five Alliance MP's were clustered together at the far end of the boardwalk, waiting for her. The huntress felt a slight pang of uneasiness at what she was about to confront, a young woman who had experienced the same trauma of her youth but had lacked Aran's good fortunes, this girl could easily have been her in some messed up parallel Universe. Samus shook herself angrily, the roles never would be reversed so it was useless to speculate! After all this time her abiding compassion for others had still not withered and died, she considered it nothing short of a miracle in that regard.<p>

"Commander, glad to see you," welcomed Girard with some apprehension, him and his men were in obvious awe of the first Human Spectre being among them, her reputation preceded her up until her abilities were witnessed first hand. Samus pegged his accent as a mixture of French and Russian, a progeny of Earth's truly international culture.

"Lieutenant," she replied sternly, "I wish it were under better circumstances. She's back there?" Samus gestured with an inclination of her fair head towards several large shipping containers - that had been in the process of being loaded onto a medical vessel.

"Yes ma'am," he confirmed, "I've got a sniper positioned but I don't think we'll need him, she's only a danger to herself. We've got a sedative to calm her down but we can't get close to her. Every step we take just get's her more _wound up_."

"Hmm, well, hopefully I won't need it," she implied calmly while accepting the tranquilizer pen with some reservation and slipping it up her sleeve. "Tell your people to stand down, that includes your man in the bird's nest," she nodded to her right, indicating the shooter two bays up vertically and two down along the Presidium ring without even looking. Girard was not about to question her authority, or how she could know the sniper's exact location without an ocular amplification device.

"Don't push her too hard Commander, if she seems set on pulling the trigger, back off, or walk away, I'm willing to wait her out." Samus unclipped her underarm bandoleer and handed both her ballistic holstered sidearms, one silver and wood, the other charcoal and ceramic to Girard; not wishing to frighten the young woman with the weapons.

"If you lose those there will be hell to pay, Lieutenant," she warned, half-detached from the formalities, already walking ahead to where the suicidal young woman was obscured from view. Girard watched her go anxiously, all his hopes resting on her.

"Of course. Good luck Commander."

Samus neared the shipping containers with cautious steps, her sharp ears already picking up the girl's heartbeat, followed by quiet muttering. Coming round the corner of the crate the huntress laid eyes on the poor waif, taking in all the details in a glance. She bore the marks of a long internment and grueling labour, little bones jutted from her shoulders and thin, long neck - a sign of extreme malnourishment. Pale burn and whip scars traced along her upper back where her ill-fitting overalls exposed her skin; shaven skull bearing testament to the lice infestations she must have suffered while in captivity, the Alliance having decontaminated and shore her. She was sitting with her knees drawn up to her chest for comfort while burying her head in her hands, one of which was clutching an ERCS .50 heavy pistol, the finger nails of said hands were worn to nubs of scabby pith, no doubt from the toil she had been forced to endure. Aran had seen many a pitiful sight that had been impossible to move her, but she would be lying to herself if she did not sympathise with the child, children could do that to her. Not out of self-pity for her own ordeal, no. For that had long ceased to dictate her reasoning - but out of absolute respect for a fellow survivor.

As the girl noticed a pair of feet in her periphery, she hopped up wildly and brandished the gun in Aran's face. Samus wasn't at all worried of the girl shooting her by accident, she could always tell from someone's eyes whether they were on the verge of attacking rabidly or professionally. And the young woman's eyes were only filled with fear when they didn't undulate between a dead, hollow look of someone who had suffered atrocities. She had an elfin face, shallow eyes and a low forehead, her features were trembling as she gazed upwards at Samus who was nearly a whole foot taller.

"Stop! Stop!" She cried desperately, her voice a cracked set of pan pipes that shrilled through the dark, the voice of a frightened infant. "who - what are you?" Samus was very nearly thrown by the question, believing that the former slave had seen through her dual-identity and knew her to be only partially Human. She berated herself quickly after, the rescued woman had lived among Batarians for thirteen years, she was obviously suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and didn't immediately identify with her own kind, or any other species for that matter. Raising her palms to mid-height in a gesture of conciliation, Samus took a minor step towards her, showing an expression of mild concern.

"My name is Samus," she couldn't bring herself to lie, it defeated the purpose of her assistance as she signified the title by tapping her sternum. "Lieutenant Girard sent me to speak to you, what's your name, child?"

"Huh, animals don't get names - the masters put their symbols on her. Hot metal all over her back - she screams when they do it." Raved the girl, still directing the muzzle of her handgun at Samus's face and taking several frantic steps back until her hips hit the railing at the edge of the docking bay; she was acting like a cornered fox, ready to die if necessary.

"You are not an animal, you have a name," soothed Aran, "a name you were born with, do you remember it?" The girl trembled, as if she were a little sparrow beset by predators, then she lowered the pistol limply, her eyes glazed over in remembrance.

"She remembers a lot of things," she continued in the third person, barely audible as she whispered her name. "Talitha. They called her that - she - she doesn't remember the rest. Leave her alone."

Biting the bullet, Samus decided to announce her past, it was a white lie really, not many could know what Talitha had suffered but to have her development raped and stunted in such a way... Aran vowed to annihilate every slaver and trafficker she could get her hands on. Fondly remembering the time she had crippled one for his offering to buy an orphaned girl off her and sell her into prostitution. She also recollected that this had been after a hit on the girl's immediate family, not one of her prouder moments. Steeling herself, she spoke clearly: "I was on Mindoir, my parents were killed during the raid."

Talitha stood frozen, then shrieked at her in anguish. "Lying! You get hit for lying! Get the buzz or the burning. Can't be there." Samus never broke eye-contact, her heart swamped with guilt, knowing that Talitha couldn't disprove her assertion but still, it was unpleasant to say the least for the huntress, clamping down on her damn unruly emotions. Such strong feelings had disrupted her mental link with the Varia suit before, only centuries of passive focal meditation and pain-tolerance exercises had overcome such a repellently 'feminine' weakness, she thought nauseatingly. Talitha's eyes bulged, she was near hysterical already: "Why are _you_ alive!" She screamed, pointing at Samus with her weapon, accusing. "Why are you? Why aren't you like her? Broken, only fit to dig and carry?"

"For a long time I was," Samus started hoarsely, not questioning why Talitha had suddenly believed her tale, or maybe she was simply perceptive enough to deem the story that belied it - worthy of attention. "I lost my whole family Talitha," she went on desolately, "my friends, my childhood. And I was damn lucky, a far sight more fortunate then you were. But it was more than that, I had to drag myself out of that rubble, crawling over and under the charred bodies of the dead. Away from despair and out into the sunlight. I picked myself up eventually, you can do so as well."

"You lose your Mommy and Daddy," Talitha spoke stiltedly, as if trying to understand a great mystery. "But you don't work, you don't carry. You stand up, she wishes she could stand up."

The huntress inched closer, unhurried as she asked Talitha in return: "How did you get here? Did you escape?" She already knew the answer but Aran also knew that Talitha had to confront her past to be set firmly on the road to recovery, as she had.

"She can't escape! They have wires, chains, needles, you go to far, they take your brains away! Animals like her come, animals with guns - they make the masters explode. She tries to fix the masters, so they won't be mad, she puts all the reds and purples back in - but they don't move! The other, animals, take her."

"Why did you try to heal them Talitha? Tell me," Demanded Samus, hardening her exhausted heart.

"If the other animals can see her, then this is real," she explained feverishly. "But it can't be, the wires, the chains, the hitting." Her voice became stronger and harsher. "It doesn't happen to her, it happens to another girl, a dirty girl, a stupid girl! She deserves it!" Samus padded forward stealthily as the girl railed, she needed serious help this one, she thought grimly. "It happens to her, doesn't it?" sniffled Talitha, but she didn't cry, "they see her, so its - real. She doesn't want it to be real."

"The past is not a memory," Samus informed her strongly. "Its a force at our backs, it pushes and steers. We may not always like where it takes us, but like any story, the past _needs_ resolution. You need to face this Talitha, what's the last thing you remember from Mindoir?"

"Fires. Smells of smoke and burning meat - animals screaming as the masters cage them - put the metal to their backs, put the wires in their brains." She covered the side of her face with the hand that still clasped the pistol; the grip was so hard that her knuckles had turned white and she shrunk back as far as she could, "she pretends to be dead," she ventured on in a hushed undertone, as if afraid of being heard. "If she's dead she can't work. But they _know_! She hopes they'll leave, but they put her in the pen, she didn't fight - she was already broken before they put the wires in." Aran could not bare to do anything but comfort her.

"You were a child! They were bigger than you, stronger than you, you couldn't have fought them or they would have_ killed_ you." Samus openly stepped forward now, a fact that was not lost on the still panicky Talitha.

"No! Stay back! Don't want to be handled again!" The N7 Operative halted at once, worried that Talitha might put the gun to her own temple; so once again she hailed her with gentle care.

"No-one blames you for pulling the blankets over your head and hoping the monsters would go away." Talitha visibly calmed at this, the gun hanging loose at her side once more. She now spoke, with a hint of peace?

"Her Mommy says that there are no monsters, no _real_ ones." Samus envisioned the great space dragon looming through the red smog of innumerable body-fueled fires, his topaz orbs glowing with a yellow light. Gods she had been brave then, three years old, walking up to the huge beast as if she could have placated him as easily as the native Tree Rabbilis's that had lived in K-2L's forests. "When they come, there aren't any more blankets," squeaked Talitha in fright, seeming to agree with the Spectre's subconscious thoughts.

"You mentioned your Mother," Samus sighed, reaching the crux of the matter, the loss of family. "I'm going to come a little closer Talitha, okay?"

"She doesn't want - don't touch her! Please, she's dirty, you'll catch it."

Samus blotted out her protests as she took two more slinking steps, she was within striking range to sedate her if she so wished, but then again, she could have done that five minutes ago. She needed to let her speak. For both their sakes.

"What happened to your Parents?"

"There's - she sees them, they're yelling - run, hide! They hit the masters. But the masters, they have lights and hoses. Daddy, he's, he's melting!" She clawed at her face as if she were on the verge of ripping her eyeballs out. "She - she doesn't want to see that, don't make her look, don't look - stupid, stupid!"

"I know how it hurts Talitha, but you need to be strong, what happened to them, think!"

"When she thinks - water comes out of her eyes. The masters beat her for wasting water, so she doesn't think anymore... She sees them, Mommy and Daddy, burning in bright light - going to pieces. They can't even say anything to her anymore!" The floodgates opened and Talitha wept openly, overcoming her Operant Conditioning not to shed tears, a small victory right there. "They're dead, Samus." She sobbed, "they tried to protect her and the masters burned them. Can she stop remembering now? Please!"

With that, Aran's patience for delaying active intercession broke; she took the pistol from Talitha's slack fingers as easily as if she were a mother tiger picking up her cub by the scruff of its neck. Then, unable to stop her honed reflexes, she stepped in with a circular heel sweep, caught the girl in her arms as she fell back onto the metal floor and pressed the pen to her neck, administering the sedative with a press of her thumb - straight into the vein. Talitha stiffened and whimpered slightly as Samus sabotaged the gun's heat sink and skidded it away while holding her at the same time.

"Ow! She doesn't like needles!" Talitha cried out sensitively.

"Shhhhh...shshssh," Aran hushed softly, "Girard will take you to a rehabilitation clinic, Talitha. They'll help you get better."

"She doesn't like needles," the young woman repeated, starting to sound drowsy and slurred. "Wires, the masters made her sleep a lot."

"Go to sleep then child, your life begins anew when you awaken. I'm sorry for the pain I have caused you, but you may thank me for it one day."

"It hurts - when I, when I remember, _me_, but she wants to - _remember_." She trailed off before becoming silent, finally letting the drug claim her. Samus knelt, embracing the small figure tenderly as she supported her head and back, then she brushed her lips on Talitha's brow. The eye of the storm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **More inventions, politics, moral choices, schemes and the battles for** **Feros in its entirety will be covered next in a super-big chapter! For all of those who asked, the Trybondian are similar in vein to the steam-bots of Sky Town or the Ing Crushers of Light Aether, war machines that Adam can interface with in a manner similar to the Collector General. Their loyalty is as unquestionable to the Warrior of Light as much as Adam's, since they are as Jaass20 posited; the _limbs_ of Adam effectively. This doesn't mean there won't be any developments or evolutionary pathways in their processing power though, I have some good surprises in store! I'll be updating Mass Correct! Soon as well and everyone can be on the lookout for when Samus takes the fight to the evil beneath Zhu's Hope, but first, it must be found...  
><strong>

**Thanks to Casey and Mac, I also think I can definitely expand on ME3's woeful ending, with something a bit more titanic then taking back one city and the Citadel relay. Tell me, what lies on the other side of the Citadel's dark matter corridor? Apart from the Reaper fleet of course. I was so sure this would be in Mass Effect 3, oh well. I'll remedy that, eventually.  
><strong>


	21. Evil Waits Below the Surface

**A/N: Longest combat chapter yet this time! Saren will make more of his own appearances throughout the story and will be felt as a more threatening and powerful villain then you have ever seen him before! This is the guy who'll be going toe to toe with Samus Aran remember, hover board skiff be dammed! Don't expect that to appear! Did you know Jennifer Hale voiced Samus in the _Metroid Prime_ series? **

_"Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company."_

_(George Washington)_

**Evil Waits Below the Surface...**

Darkness pervaded the spacious living room a hundred metres off the Citadel's street level. The only lights came from the myriad of cyan-green holo gel images that rose up from the projector table. Samus Aran was manipulating the figures, shapes and statistics faster than even a prodigious mind could follow, finally taking direct charge of Adam's war efforts. He was the strategist of the operation, conducting their people into certain divisions; _she_ was the tactician, the one who would direct them on the hyper-space paths of war.

Out of the 35,000,000 synthetic marine troops of the Trybondian military, just under half of the standard military units were outfitted with Svalinn armour, top-of-the-line powered exoskeletons that had been designed by the huntress herself: they would also be equipped with integrated galvanic assault rifles, energy grenades, photonic accelerator firearms and plasma scythes.

Her planned fleet that was to be 15,000 vessels strong was only 20% towards final completion, this included: Ark vessels for transport and extraction, interceptor fighters, cruisers, battle ships, dreadnoughts and the armada's flag ship; _The Moralltach_. However this status was increasing by 0.2% daily, now that the workforce of nearly 65,000,000 engineers was finally at full strength, and without the constraints of organic personnel, including sleep, payment or a need for nourishment: their production speed and power was off the charts.

In a little over a year, the task force would be on the verge of completion. Thanks to Aran's connections with the research and development wings of _Selkish Arms_, a Salarian weapons manufacturer: Stockpiles of advanced artillery, eezo and other raw materials had been made available; though her primary supplier, Samus also maintained channels with several other companies, including close ties with _Synthetic Insights_ to avoid inflexible investments.

It had taken its toll on her considerable finances, even with all the patents and bounties she had acquired, and the free labour on top of that. Her forty trillion credit fortune the result of nearly three thousand years of private enterprise had decreased by 2 trillion to maintain her vast web of contacts and the preserved secrecy of the quickly becoming largest force in the cosmos. It had been nine years since she had arrived in this Galaxy after all.

Speaking of which, she had decided to send word to one of her stealth frigates to make a covert drop on Feros, they could be there and back again within an hour without the Geth aggressors being any the wiser. And they would need the extra firepower if her spies' reports were accurate.

"Commander...?" Came the hesitant voice of a certain Asari archaeologist, Samus languidly but deliberately began to file away the holo images, sweeping them into their separate folders and shrinking the images into the golden orb of the Corvette's beacon.

As Liara entered the room, dressed in cords and a white vest, she saw her leader summon the fading complex coded sphere into her left hand and place it in her jean pocket before it merged into her neural pathways and highlighted the cybernetic Chozo tattoo on the back of her palm, which was usually seamlessly invisible.

"Liara, what's keeping you up?" She asked concernedly, meeting her at the centre of the living space and sitting on the armrest of the divan, hands in her lap while Dr. T'Soni hovered next to her nervously.

"I was wondering if you were alright, did the incident with the Mindoirian affect you in any w -"

"Nothing you need concern yourself about." Interrupted Samus candidly, signalling that further inquiries into the matter would be met with evasive comments or a blunt refusal to speak. "Everything worked out fine."

"I understand," Liara nodded, wringing her hands in an involuntary manner. She studied Aran's impassive face searchingly, the Chozo warrior gave her an askance look which quickly turned into a wry smile as the Asari diverted her eye contact bashfully.

"You weren't roused from your bed just to ask me about old ghosts were you?"

"I'm afraid not. I - so far I have only been on support in the field and I was wondering when can I, uh..."

"When can you become a more integral part of the team," finished Samus for her, leaning forward while sitting, her elbow resting on her knee introspectively.

"Yes." Replied Liara fearfully, worried that the Commander would rebuke her talents in combat in favour of her analytical mind in the lab, she didn't want to sit on the sidelines during such a vital mission.

"Come on," Samus invited her to the training room and dojo she had incorporated into all her lairs, ferrying Liara with an arm around her shoulder, much to the Maiden's embarrassment. "Now you've fought alone for most of your life Liara, that's good, I don't have to teach you the basics, but to combine biotic techniques on the fly with a partner is a high-risk, high-reward strategy that has to be instilled through constant practice. So, I believe its time to accelerate your tuition."

Aran activated the soundproofing fields and took up her position opposite Liara, taking off her sweatshirt and socks to reveal one of the black sports bra she usually wore, the material was tight around her breasts, and accentuated them, flustering Liara further; Aran's cleavage hadn't diminished in ampleness or elasticity despite her long life-span. This was one of her more obvious physiological difference from normal humans, Chozo muscle fibres propagated and expanded through all the inflexible intercostal tissues, meaning that her Cooper's ligaments were more advantageous for physical feats rather than for some frat boy's viewing pleasure! But this accounted for her whole muscular system, skin, organs in general, which showed no signs of ever deteriorating, Liara was impressed to say the least as she beheld the Commander's corded but smooth arms, neck, wrists, chest and stomach; despite maintaining an unmistakeable air of femininity, she was _cut_.

"As you know," Aran announced, kneeling in the Seiza position atypical to Eastern martial arts, Liara imitated her, trying not to let her discomfort show from the awkward position. "Biotics take immense focus to channel into a particular point instead of projecting the field straight from the limbs. I've seen you create vortexes, gravity wells, even two-way stasis fields, admirable talents, but you're slow, you take too long to gather your power and you take too long to recharge it."

Liara looked rather wan; she stared down at the matted floor, ashamed that her skills were not up to the Commander's high standards. Samus went on in her drillmaster's tone, which wasn't too different from her usual tone now that Liara thought about it.

"To master the forces around you, you must first master your own; the dark energy that interacts around and within your body." Samus's entire being pulsed with a biotic nimbus, by just directing her eyes, one-way stasis bubbles flared into existence with just over a second's moment of cool down in between. She did so for twenty repetitions without showing any sign of tiring, then gathered them together for a larger coverage, before warping the creation into a whirlpool of dark energy that could have sucked a whole squad into oblivion. Liara's jaw may as well have been hanging down to her lap, as she witnessed the indigo-blue flames trace their way back to her Commander and twirl up her forearms like snakes before fading away; only the most powerful biotics in the Galaxy had visible auras, the most the majority could manage was a slight ripple of the space time continuum.

"That was amazing, Shepard!" Applauded the Asari in wonder, eager to be taught the secrets of this incredible discipline, though she didn't think she could ever match Aran's stamina.

"Don't get too excited, we've got a way to go before you're anywhere near that level. First, I want you to maintain a mass increasing field within two inches of your hands and maintain it for as long as possible."

Liara did as she was bidden; trying to keep the field from disapparating was hard work when most trainers had taught her to cast fields out and forgot about them. Beads of sweat ran down her scalp as she tried and tried again, observed by the N7 Guardian, who would often make a suggestion on configuring her pneumonics, or inquiring into the mental processes she employed for conjuring the types of mass effect.

After an hour's hard work, which had included shared meditation, numerous arm exercises and minute adjustments to her amp; Liara had succeeded in creating a perpetual, swirling mass of high density biotic energy around her right arm's clenched digits. Ecstatic, she began to stand up, only for the cramp in her calves to tighten after kneeling on both legs for so long. With a hiss of pain, Liara's concentration lapsed and the corona was snuffed out.

"_Unacceptable_." Stated Aran exactingly, using her toes to propel herself back to her feet from the double-kneeling stance with ridiculous ease; striding past the few feet in between the pair until she stood face-to-face. "If that had been during combat your emergency barrier would have failed, or you would have fallen to your death when trying to slow your descent; if a pang like that is allowed to distract you in such a way then you won't last long on the front ranks when being grazed by bullets."

"Forgive me Commander; I'll give it another try," she gasped, rubbing her legs tenderly while Samus loomed over her, austerity incarnate.

"No, it would be better for the both of us that I test you with simulated battlefield events, you can only use biotically augmented melee attacks to defend yourself, but nothing else, okay?"

"Okay..." Another half hour later and Liara was very sore from the medicine balls Samus had chucked at her, (and the significantly pulled and loose wallops.) For all her bruises, she did now have some basic control of motor-function enhancing biotics, able to slip and slide using mass decreasing fields, though she was still finding melee biotics of a mass increasing nature troublesome.

"I think that's enough for tonight," the Commander granted, allowing Liara to slump onto a bench in fatigue, offering her a bottle of chilled water and a towel as she sat down next to her and began her breath control exercises, not in the slightest bit tired from the night's exertions.

"You are an inspirational teacher...Aran." Said Liara breathlessly, hoping that they were now on proper first name terms, the huntress opened her left eye beadily, watching the Asari with her piercing blue and green eyes, noticing how vibrant and large the archaeologist's were in return, she had a wide-eyed innocence around her, something she hoped to evolve her out of, if not dispel entirely.

As it was, she was impressed with her commitment to her new military instruction and her quickly growing confidence, evidenced as Liara did not balk this time under the prolonged scrutiny.

"Thank you Liara, but Aran always seems so, _formal_ to me. I'd prefer Shepard, if that's alright with you?"

"Absolutely," she assured, touching Samus on leg softly, "I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't respect such an honest wish."

"Ahem, you fought well," Samus changed the topic quickly, standing up just as promptly. "You're certainly not dilatory in your movements or your attitude, I think with a month or two of this regimen we'll have a real fighter on our hands, a base for you to build even higher on."

"Well you never cease to impress, Shepard. For one as young as you, you have an immense but disproportionate amount of wisdom and experience, hah. We Asari must seem lax in comparison during our earlier years."

"Don't mistake my looks for my level of maturation; I just have a certain, _outlook_, on life that many would kill for."

"Killing, I wondered when I might be able to broach this subject." She wondered as Samus began to work over a 300lb punching back with minorly charged knocks, sending it swinging up to the ceiling at a ninety degree angle, straining on its gravity tethers.

"It bothers you?" Asked Aran with some perplexity, surprised since she had seen Liara kill on Sharjila in self-defence when she'd had to.

"It shouldn't be necessary, I was usually able to scare prowlers away from my dig sites with a show of biotics, I never, _had_ to kill."

"If it makes you feel any better, I started out the same. Oh I was proud, merciful, obnoxious in my beliefs of superiority and high-minded righteousness. But that changed..." Samus was laying into the bag now, striking it with over 4000lbs of force per square inch and nearly snapping the tether from its anchorage in the ceiling.

"Yes, I did hear rumours from the crew that you used to be a hired assassin and tracer before joining the Alliance, but I've watched you, you have a strange code of honour. I can't imagine you doing anything morally reprehensible." Liara was convincing herself more than her Commander; Aran's tempo was increasing as her knuckles dented the leather permanently.

"Believe it. In my early days I was an enforcer, assumed I was beneath such things to my vexation, sure enough you have to make an example, and before you know it, I'd lost count of my hundredth soul. I was never cruel when I could avoid it, never murdered with reckless abandon or tormented my victims. But any man or woman who claims that the faces of the dead keep them awake at night are those unfit for making the hard decisions. In truth, there are but a handful of those who I recognise in the recesses of my mind, and then, only when my mind is triggered in such a way, that they...were _worth _remembering."

"Even so," gulped Liara, persisting uncertainly, "you've saved far more than you've slain. The moons of Theshaca, Elysium, Guantar, Predon and now Eden Prime; so many owe you their lives, you may not accept this as true, but I _know_ you are a woman of honour."

Samus's reverse side-kick tore the punching back from its housing, it sailed across the room to slam into the wall and thump to the floor heavily. "Honour? I've killed the wife and children of a family whose father fell behind on his gambling debts! I've slaughtered entire races, committed genocide against life-forms who threatened corporate interests! And I've sold my not inconsiderable skills to the highest bidder! DON'T - TALK - TO - _ME_ ABOUT HONOUR!" She roared with intense passion, frightening Liara with her outburst.

Aran quickly regained control; looking ashamed.

"Forgive me, I'm so sorry..." She sounded almost inaudible. She walked over to replace the bag, hunched over in the memory of a million different famous conflicts and other, less glorious pursuits as she lifted the equipment up, the days of saving the known Universe from complete destruction had been few and far between.

"No,_ I_ am sorry Shepard," replied Liara surely, coming over and touching her reassuringly on the back. "I know the road from poverty to wealth is never a pure one. You've earned your rest and rewards but I know you won't stop, you can't. Not when Saren threatens us all."

"I appreciate your understanding." Samus responded neutrally, allowing the Asari's hand to massage her rounded shoulder tenderly instead of shrugging it off. "But be that as it may, I don't desire anyone to sing my praises or call me a hero of the people, the good deeds I've done for the many have balanced the scales, no more, no less. Leave me... Please." She added remorsefully.

"Very well, I won't stay to offend you with my unawareness," Liara began to walk from the room. "One more thing..." Samus called out to her forebodingly, Liara halted and turned back to listen. "Never speak to me about the ethics of killing again, not until you've solved the dilemma for yourself."

Liara was near her room when she was met by Wrex in the corridor, on one of his many nocturnal trips to the deep freeze for a midnight snack.

"Liara, are you alright? Seem troubled." He asked mildly.

"Fine, fine," she smiled; allowing him past, then she tapped him on the hump boldly, catching his attention and causing him to bring his bulk around to face her.

"Aha, knew there was something amiss, what do you want to ask?"

"If you were told to kill a young infant, no more than six or seven years old; would you do it?" Wrex's eyes narrowed, he looked back at the training quarters where he could just hear the Commander going to work on another sand filled punching bag and connected the dots. He turned one of his crimson eyes to bear on Liara, his face a mask of uncertain emotions.

"No... I'd ask how much."

* * *

><p>The next day passed by with flying colours as the Normandy crew restocked on essentials and new armaments. Samus bought Liara a set of light Ursa armour with a grey and white, snow cameo pattern and matching helmet, plus a set of HK Shadow Works firearms, (a grey and silver Cobra pistol and a matching Diamond Back sub machine gun,) in keeping with the team's high standards of weaponry.<p>

Soon enough it was time to travel to the Attican Beta Cluster and its outlying system, Theseus. Always aware of self-improvement, Samus began to modify melee functions on her twin Savant omni tools. Programming several different silicon carbide edges that could be flash forged by the mini fabricator and suspended in a vorpal mass effect field as long as conscious thought was maintaining it. Hatchet edges, Deer Horn crescent moon blades, Push daggers, Karambit and Khopesh hooks among the few; all could seamlessly materialise from her hands at alternating angles for setting up elaborate feints, or their shapes combined together for a lethal surprise counter attack. Aran could also channel some of her neural energy into the holo ring and vambrace, turning them into diamond-hard Yawara wrist bludgeons in case she was forced to hit something tough enough that even her micro fractured knuckles couldn't withstand, (and if her Denzium dusters were not handy.)

Garrus was practicing his marksmanship on the Normandy's ad lib firing range in the cargo hold, brimming in anticipation for the mission to come. The Commander was taking her full squad of ten onto the surface in preparation for the ground they would have to cover and urban environments were Vakarian's forte for sharp-shooting.

Finally ejecting the spent thermal clip after emptying its ten, one-shot heat sinks, Garrus began to lubricate and clean the already polished weapon. The hoary rifle had been kept in excellent condition by Aran, but Garrus wasn't called the master of calibrating for nothing.

Tali approached him from behind as he finished his maintenance. "What's up?" Queried the ex-cop as his mechanic counterpart stood alongside him, hands leaning on the work surface.

"I heard we're heading for a real war zone down on Feros, should I be worried that you'll be looking out for me and not protecting yourself?" She asked coyly.

"Hah! Don't know what you're on about Tali, this soldier is always on top of his game, no matter what distractions are put in his way." Boasted Garrus in his cocky, defensive manner; putting his sniper rifle over his right shoulder and standing profile away from the Quarian in an epic pose of Turian machismo.

Tali giggled lightly as she observed her friend's antics, now resting fully against the bench as Garrus placed both arms around the barrel and stock casually, the gun braced against his neck, under the cranial fringe. "But seriously Garrus, I get the feeling that the Commander is rubbing off on you."

"Really?" replied the strutting alien, his mandibles widening toothily, Tali realised her mistake and retorted with an appropriate response.

"Bosh'tet! You know that's not what I meant; I _mean 'attitude', _that the two of you take too many risks in this line of work."

"Your concern is welcomed Tali but Shepard and Vakarian aren't most soldiers. All together, we're like nothing the Galaxy has ever seen."

"Maybe, but you can't deny it's Shepard's presence which enthuses us all, the woman is _insane!_ On Therum she took down a Geth Colossus and a Krogan Battlemaster _single-handed_."

"She certainly is an inspirational leader, every time we're in battle I just, _know_ where to fire; it's as if she can direct our minds subtly to where we're most needed! And if you thought Therum was crazy, on Terra Nova she took down two Batarians with a single shot."

"I still think close quarters take downs are more impressive," countered Tali.

"Nah, long-range requires true precision, not inaccurate bludgeoning, though, the Commander _can_ bludgeon pretty hard..."

"Close range is better!" Rejoined Tali, miming a shotgun being cocked and fired.

"Long range!" Argued Garrus.

"Close range!" Tali shot back.

"Long range!"

"Close range!"

"You're both wrong!" Rumbled Wrex as he seemingly appeared behind the pair; causing them both to jump out of their skins. "Point blank is by far the best range to be," he grinned evilly, Tali and Garrus couldn't help but inch their hands towards weapons on the counter, neither would admit it, but the aged Krogan was extremely fear-provoking.

* * *

><p>Normandy arced through space, nearing the large terrestrial world scattered with long dead Prothean cities, Saren was definitely after more clues that would lead him to the Conduit, once Adam's research on the relay network was complete the answers his pursuers were seeking would become much clearer. So thought Samus as she studied all the Intel her old friend had transmitted, they were still at a hypothetical stage but it was quite apparent that the relays controlled dark energy emissions throughout a very minor part of the Galaxy, less than one percent.<p>

Many scientists still believed in the theories of cosmic acceleration and divergent expansion under the influence of this now proven to exist (thanks to Element Zero), 'phantom energy.'

An apocalyptic cataclysm would eventually occur due to this force, one that would result in the Universe's heat death; thereby laying waste to the entirety of the Virgo Super cluster and eventually; nuclear matter itself.

Being from a far more cultured civilization than these physicist barbarians, Samus and the denizens of the Universe had relied on complete baryonic-based technology, utilising vast amounts of antimatter in fusion reactors and its solid-state elements like Afloraltite to power cosmic wonders untold.

The Reapers needed _something_ from this system of continuing genocide; it _had_ to have a purpose. Samus agonized over what it could be long into the night, a kind of evolutionary crucible? Perhaps a move towards natural harmony on the plane of physics? She poured over texts, data-tomes and made countless references in her journal: What could it be, what? What? It was only a matter of time before her survey and science teams breached the Quantum-locked constructs and discovered the true extent of the Reaper's age-old plot...

But until then, there were more immediate games to be played: If the Council knew she was breaking over a thousand Citadel Space regulations regarding surveying the relays...That she alone harboured technology that had been nothing but a pipe dream even in the 27th century. To top it off, that she was a walking genetic marvel, an illegal mish-mash of unique deoxyribonucleic acidic quad strands and Nano-Neutralino cyber nerve channels. That all in all was worth more than the _accumulated_ biological and Hadron collider research of all the Council races put together! It was fair to say, that Samus Aran and her network, had become the major player for salvation in the long run and no-one even knew it yet...

She walked into the CIC from the left stairwell; her officer's jacket draped over her right shoulder, leaving both arms unrestricted and made a beeline for Navigator Pressly.

"Charles, is the landing zone clear?" She inquired to her stubble bearded XO, observing the orange holo pads that beamed the numbers on screen for their benefit.

"As far as I can see, Commander. The Alliance left us that drop-off package in the lower tunnels passing through the colony's main settlement. It's been hit hard, but LADAR scans are only picking up one Geth frigate in the atmosphere, the other two reported by our agents have long since left. They're making bombardments from the abandoned Exo-geni headquarters."

"Tell Joker I want an airtight hangar bay, preferably in the girders lacing the lower foundations, reports say those frigates can deploy at least two drop ships; they'll probably be six battalions strong knowing our luck," she advised, scanning the holo schematics for the colony's skyscraper and its adjoining aqueducts with her omni tool.

"The entire team is assembling in the cargo bay, ma'am," he informed her.

"Thank you, Pressly. Keep the brig staff on standby, full armour and armaments are authorised, I have a bad feeling about this one."

"Yes, Commander!"

Samus exited the garage lift in complete Crisis battle-dress, V face plate helmet and Type X weapons bristling from their magnetic stripes. Fredericks, Vakarian, Singh, Wrex, Alenko, T'Soni, Williams, Andrews, Ms. Nar'Rayya and Craig all stood at the ready in a regimented line.

"At ease," she walked among them, checking that everyone had proper sealants active just like a diver's test; she ordered everyone into their two respective teams. She would lead Garrus, Liara, Wahib, Andrews and Josh, while Kaidan would head Tali, Russell, Ashley and the jolly giant from clan Urdnot. Their positions were in a triangle formation with her and Kaidan at the head of each respective band; ready for anything as Normandy came in for a slow and careful landing. "Everyone be ready, we move up together in textbook definition, anyone deviates..." Samus didn't need to finish her unvoiced threat as the teams armed themselves and synched kinetic barriers; Liara flexed her arm, shifting the air slightly around the limb, the N7 Operative nodded to her encouragingly.

Once they had heard the ship touch-down, the bay ramp descended and the two, five soldier squads jogged out into the grey, stony environment in staggered movements, spreading out for cover and making sure to face in every conceivable direction to pin-point any enemy units that were out of radar scope.

Above them, sunlight shafted through the massive permacrete rafters, catching the large dust particles that gathered together, drifting through the air like wispy snowflakes as they worked their way through the now dried up canal.

When the two teams had got about a hundred metres away from the ship, Samus used the remote function on the Mako's VI pathfinder to drive the vehicle after them for precautions sake, everyone concealed themselves behind the tank rover's armoured hull while Aran activated the transponder signal for the other M35 that her Trybondian soldiers had left behind. After a few seconds, a second tank trundled up a side embankment and completed the partially protective ring.

"Alenko, you and your squad will take our rover and scout out the tunnels; I want to know what kind of numbers we're facing. Me and the others will make for the main colony and try to lift the siege."

"Aye aye!" The Lieutenant saluted, carrying out her commands while Garrus peered down the passage, magnifying his vision with his Kuwashi visor.

"There's someone down there Commander!" Samus stood beside him and followed his pointing talon towards the stock-still humanoid at the base of a deteriorating set of stairs around two hundred metre away; he appeared unarmed.

"Probably one of the colonists..." Signalling her team, Wahib and Josh clambered onto the roof of the tank while Liara, Aran and Garrus got inside; once again, the Turian manned the turret. As they reached the civilian, the two Alliance marines bounded off and covered the area, while Samus approached what she realised to be a human male.

"Thank God you've come," he burst out unexpectedly, standing still as a rock; even as an expression of worry crinkled his brow, he was evidently in shock. "The Geth are preparing for another assault, Fai Dan needs to speak to you about getting our defences in order, he -"

"Whoa, slow down there, we're here to -" The poor colonist had been camping in the same position like a duck in a shooting gallery. His expression didn't even change as a Geth Javelin beam blew through his chest in a spray of red mist, the bastards were already here!

But while Therum had been open plains and ridges, full of danger at every turn from a well-established enemy force. Here, the ancient municipal corners and dead-end streets allowed Samus to direct her troops more efficiently. No more did she have to take every risk, instead using each of her soldier's unique skill-sets to out-flank and take apart the Geth foe.

Hoppers made their job a little harder, bouncing off walls and waiting for the opportune moment to strike from the crumbling pillars; which gave them excellent vantage points. Thankfully, Singh, Aran and Vakarian all had long-distance rifles and were able to co-ordinate together through the ruins, the Geth had still not adapted for the fact that their hacking and anti-radar countermeasures were not working and, very quickly, the hunters became the hunted.

Now taking the Mako up to their main destination, the colony, took around ten minutes. The team was shocked to say the least at the vista that greeted them. Several bombing runs had obliterated the upper struts of the tower, wiping out the residents until the lowest level was the only one left. Every remaining homestead was in flames, though most were mass pyres for the dead. A dismantled Kowloon Class modular freighter was the only pre-fabricated building left standing; and there were around ten defenders guarding the make-shift barricades.

The survivors were certainly not overly exuberant at the arrival of a single Infantry Fighting Vehicle, their expressions vacant and depressed at the terrible situation they found themselves in. It looked like over ninety percent of all the colonists had been killed in the span of forty hours since the Comm. Buoys in orbit had been cut.

Bailing out, the team moved among the colonists, shoring up barriers, distributing medi gel canisters, first aid kits and thermal clip bandoleers. Samus heard the voice of the man likely to be their leader hailing her from behind.

"Ah, Commander, I'm glad they sent someone to help us." He was dressed in dusty overalls typical to most pioneers but he had a weathered, honest face, clean shaven, with short hair and creased features, evidently in distress, but hopeful at the same time.

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" Snarled a curly haired female rent-a-cop in poor woman's Gladiator armour. Her face was covered in grime and bled from several small lacerations to the cheek, lip and the skin around the eyes, both of which were narrowed in anger and resentment.

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan reprimanded her, evidently affronted at her rudeness, Samus was hardly listening at any rate, utilising a portable scanning suite to detect incoming enemy forces on her omni tool, its effective radius amplified by the Corvette's beacon implant. "I'm sorry Commander; everyone's been on edge since the attack -"

A thunder crack of an explosion tore up the outer cordons in a blast of cyan and white electro-shelled discharge, primitive plasma substitutes atypical to Geth mounted weaponry, in this case, a drop ship mounted siege pulse.

"Scatter!" Yelled Samus as the drop ship in question, like a malignant metal hornet made a pass-by, carpet bombing the decimated colony with its super heated payloads.

Garrus and Wahib managed to roll into cover while Josh and Liara dived behind a large automated crane that seemed dysfunctional. Dust was billowed around as the colonists scrambled for cover from the blue fires that raged into existence, throwing up gravel shrapnel.

Samus surged forward, allowing her biotics to act in the same manner as her speed booster, jumping over piled up earth nearly two metres tall as if she were stepping over a pavement crack. She skidded to a halt on the other side, scooping up two colonists and practically hurling them to safety behind some reinforced crates, just as the drop ship came around to complete its circuit. It was with some surprise that Samus found Liara standing by and below her on the rock pedestal she had landed on, casting a barrier curtain even as she did so to protect the colonists from the pulse's energy shock wave with comparatively little effort on both their parts.

"_Commander,"_ called Kaidan over her radio, _"we've got heavy Geth resistance in the tunnels, Armature class units are slowing us down but we should be there momentarily." _

"Belay that Alenko; I don't want it falling on top of you and the guys."

"What's going to fall Commander?"

"You'll see..." The last progeny of the Chozo raced back to the central 'square' of the colony, communicating orders to her marines. She arrived in the open ground just as Singh brought the Mako to a spinning hand-brake stop with its trunk facing her.

The boot was thrown open, Garrus and Josh lugged a huge metal crate from the vehicle and lowered it down as carefully as physically possible. Samus was harmonizing her en suite targeting visor, watching with eagle eyes as the Geth ship flew away, and then began to come round...

Working expertly, Garrus and Josh opened the ordnance box and began to assemble the large mass accelerator, two-man cannon with relative ease. Fixing the mechanical parts together, winching and cranking electrical sub-systems before, with a hiss of pneumatic gas, opening the cavernous firing chamber.

Samus picked up the specialised, four fused cylinder 'packet' of High-Explosive sub munitions, contained around a tube lattice of miniature microwave generator loops for a Non-Nuclear EMP pulse delivered by chemical injection. (It and its in-built power cell weighed about a hundred and twenty kilos,) with one hand she fitted it into the huge gun, twisted the release lever to lock it in place and snapped the weapon close.

It required hydraulic-assisted armour to wield an M-859 'Joyeuse' accelerator cannon, as it was, Samus lifted the rear of the weapon with her left arm then hefted it over her shoulder with contemptuous ease, balancing the SAM rocket with her right hand and lining up the holo CCIP, (Constantly Computed Impact Point - Ed), it was time to swat down a bothersome fly.

The Geth never knew what hit them as Samus charged the firing sequence, waited for a lock-on to be confirmed...Then pulled the first trigger. The back-blast was enough to dent the metal of the _Borealis_ freighter, a yellow jet of blue and orange-trailing light flashed forth with an enormous rapport. As it neared the underbelly of the drop ship, she squeezed the second trigger. The cluster missile split into five parts, central magazine flashed rapidly, then burst with a wave of highly localised electromagnetic radiation that shorted out the hardened capacitors such was the amplitude's intensity. If that wasn't enough the four-part collection of unstable sugar sprinkles was released, punching through the hull and 'head' in a crackle of many tiny little explosions, at least in proportion to the ship, each one had the power of ten explosive pellets...And there were over four thousand.

With a chittering synthetic cry the Geth neural hub and troop transport was reduced to two pieces of barely holding together, blazing meteorite, that arced over the colony and ploughed through the right half of the defence tower, detonating in a ball of electrical flame.

"HAH! Take that you Geth bastards!" Cheered Fredericks as he high-fived Garrus and his Commander in quick succession, the colonists were also roused to celebrate but it wasn't over by a long shot. Another drop ship had arrived from the south and was perched on the edifice, hovering as it dropped off more troops. They began to swarm down from the partially demolished spire and come up from the roads leading to the underground tunnels.

Great, a Geth infantry swarm. Arcelia was losing her head, screaming frantically from behind cover: "Geth in the tower!"

"PROTECT THE HEART OF THE COLONY!" Shouted Fai Dan desperately, Samus dumped the portable artillery and unhooked her assault rifle, with her companions at her back; they advanced on the numerically superior force at a mad dash.

Liara's biotics broke the shock troopers first ranks, Josh hurled a tech mine into their midst, scattering metal bodies and releasing white blood everywhere as the electric pulse fried their circuits, Samus and Vakarian modified their rifles on the go with disruptor modules, Garrus fired from the hip, scoring three kills while Aran swept her rifle back and forth while holding it sideways, bandit shooting over six of the synthetic foot soldiers.

Splitting up, the five commandos chose their covered positions, Wahib laying down covering fire with his repeating sniper rifle, the colonists helped but they had few weapons between them and were exhausted from the repeated assaults of yesterday.

"Shield check!" Snapped Aran into her intercom while the Geth blitzed away with their proton rifles.

"Eighty percent!" Replied Liara.

"Seventy five percent!" Garrus responded.

Sixty percentages came from Wahib and Josh. "Applying Unity pulse during three second alternating fire, continue for another three before disengaging: Gamma, Lambda, Sigma, Iota!" Everyone opened fire according to their appropriate code name after the ordered interval, messing up the Geth's counter attack when they brought rocket troopers to bear. Josh hit a destroyer with an overload bolt and Samus followed it up with an under barrel Carnage shot, using an entire harpoon round magazine melted into a ball of sheer ripping force that knocked down their numbers further as the destroyer went up like Halifax.

Liara suppressed the Geth trying to flank her with a healthy dose of sub machine gun bullets, and then send them reeling back with a wide singularity; Aran threw an opposing biotic field into the mix, shredding a baker's dozen. Then she lifted six troops at the same time, Liara hit them with a throw field, sending them careening into the base of the tower with mechanical squawks of imminent erasure.

"That's my girl!" Rooted Samus for her biotic student; soaking up bullets with her barrier field as she raced across no-man's land and joined her Asari comrade behind a fallen stone pillar.

"Appreciate it Shepard but we can't keep this up much longer!" Cried the good doctor as yet more Geth clambered over the body parts of their fallen platforms and joined the fray.

"I disagree," she replied mildly, reloading a harpoon ammunition clip into her battle rifle and replacing the lithium 'drop' thermal clip from her arm pouch in little under two seconds, "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Second that Shepard!" Called Garrus, over the moon with the kind of action he was experiencing, he was high as a kite on adrenaline it seemed.

"Don't make me put you in time out Garrus," she hollered back, strafing while in cover to gain a better angle, "your hard suits biometrics put your bpm at 120!" Samus activated a grenade and tossed it over her head as she lay against the pillar, Geth parts came flying over their cover after the explosion.

"Aww, you care about my well-being..." Garrus answered with a note of smarminess, switching back to his Volkov to help break the Geth offensive then and there. He was to be disappointed.

"Heads up! We're pulling you guys out of there Shepard!" Guffawed Wrex over the radio just as Beta team drove through the Geth's back ranks in the Mako; crushing a large portion of their enemy under the tanks wheels.

Wrex stood astride the roof of the cabin, both feet apart, Macana machine gun on full auto, cutting down swathes and chewing up scores of Geth as the teams caught them in the perfect definition of an encirclement. Tali and the other marines poured out of the interior and opened up on the divided Geth raiders.

It was a mechanical slaughter, silicon hell would be kept busy for years to come as Samus and her squad mates cut them down to the last, eventually directing both mounted guns on the tower's entrance, clearing the bottle neck in the usual way when tanks were employed to solve problems; then they took the stairs.

A pitched battle in the tower's cramped corridors ensued, Wrex, Ashley and Tali getting their chance to shine as Samus placed them on point: Russell and Jamie carrying the Joyeuse between them, while Josh brought up the rear with a replacement power cell. The team stormed the upper chamber, ejected the troops with extreme prejudice and watched as the last Geth drop ship _tried _to flee the battleground, Wrex took great delight in firing off the M-859 and watching the ship plummet with the air of a man watching a brilliant artist paint a masterpiece for him, and him alone; he was practically sniffing once the smoke obscured the wreck on the sky-way.

* * *

><p>"Thank you Commander, without your intervention we could never have secured the tower," sighed Fai Dan in relief as he helped bandage a wounded colonist, they had lost one man during the last assault, leaving twenty four men and women left in the broken dreams of their home.<p>

Samus removed her helmet and tucked it under her arm. "You're all safe for now, can your people ever recover from this?" She indicated around the trashed courtyard and nearby shell-shocked survivors.

"We'll endure Commander; Feros is our home, damned if we're going to let those synthetic bastards drive us away but your concern is appreciated, as of course are your efforts against the invaders."

"They may have been slowed, but they'll be back. They always come back," snarled Arcelia aggressively.

"Not likely," Wrex interrupted, "that was over half their force when you look at their dead; that leaves only the frigate left," he challenged in defence of his leader, Samus nodded in accordance.

"My colleague's right, we've notched their sword now its time to splinter their shield..."

"What could the Geth want from this colony, why are they here?" Questioned Tali to Fai Dan politely, the rest of the team was off around the site helping the wounded.

"Why don't you go ask them yourself!" Arcelia's frayed mind was unplucked again, under intense pressure as it was, Samus was studying her closely, were her eyes murky?

"That's enough Arcelia!" Rebuked Fai Dan angrily now, apologising on her behalf again. "We don't know what the Geth are after, they came, they attacked us that's all we know."

"What about Saren Arterius? He helped bankroll the Feros colony with Exo-geni, don't tell me you haven't seen him..." Interrogated Samus further, Fai Dan looked uncomfortable.

"The renegade, no, no we haven't seen him," Samus peered at him, the lie was hidden well, but it was always there for her to see.

"If he was helping Exo-geni," continued Fai Dan, "then he evidently turned against them as well, their headquarters were the first to be hit by the Geth it's their main base of operations."

"Along the northern aqueduct and sky-way bridge," Aran mused thoughtfully, pacing now. She turned back to Fai Dan, "do the tunnels intersect with the bridges?"

"Pardon, Commander?"

"You heard me, is Exo-geni connected in any way to Zhu's Hope, apart from the overland roads."

"Well no, not to my -"

"Why are you being so guarded with me, we just saved your lives! Give me a bit of Intel without dragging every sentence!" Samus argued, her sixth sense warning her that something was very wrong with these people...

"Commander, I - these people have lost everything. I've lost nearly everything. You can't expect us to be at a hundred percent regarding mental stability."

"We're civilians! No-one prepared us for the horrors of war!" Arcelia inputted in her usual furious tone, Samus looked from one to another, feeling a deep sense of disquiet.

"You think I can't recognise PTSD Ms. Silva Martinez? I don't know what drugs those pukes who dare call themselves _scientists_ subjected you to; but know this...I will find out what you're hiding, and woe betide anyone who gets in my way."

Samus walked among the colonists for some time, observing her team mates helping the survivors get their affairs in order. Once a headcount was complete, Aran decided to leave her marine squad to hold the fort with all the Human man-power they could spare, it was not likely the Geth had any strength for another push after being so thoroughly trounced. her alien allies nearly filled up the Mako's six seat compartment and Aran took the wheel, driving them through the shattered towers foundations and back along the lower tunnels.

"The suffering that man's caused..." Liara shook her head in bafflement and the Turian Spectre's actions.

"Let's hope he's waiting for us at Exo-geni," consoled Wrex in his acerbic manner, clipping on his safety harness, "I'll tear the coward's head off and stick it on a pike."

"He seems to be running," agreed Garrus fiercely, "I'm not surprised, he'll try even harder to hide after he finds out what happened to his Geth here."

"The Geth are relentless Garrus, my people know that more than most, we can't afford to get overconfident or people may get hurt." Tali reminded her Dextro friend.

"What _is_ that?" Sniffed Wrex uncomfortably, having caught a sharp scent, "I'm sure I smelled it on the way up here..." Samus obviously agreed with Wrex's misgivings as she brought the tank to a halt and hopped out, investigating the edge of the path, where it dropped into blackness over the railing guard, slimy mould clinged to the walls, reaching up for what little sunlight it could absorb from the shadows.

"I sense it too Wrex, there's something moving down there." She and Wrex peered over the side, they both had never encountered this individual kind of life form before, they both hoped that it was dead, the smell bore testament to that hope. Aran broke away, quickly checking in with Alenko, Williams and the others, everything was fine but the huntress warned them to remain on their guards. "The sooner we find the Exo-geni databases, the sooner we can find out what mess they've got these people into."

The advance party exited the lower tunnels, witnessing an awesome landscape, framed as it was by the mile long sky-way and the equally tall tower at the far end. Unfortunately they couldn't take in the view while the large Geth frigate loomed along side them, as it flew off to the north west, it deployed the last drop ship, which harried after the Mako and its occupants.

"Hold on everybody! Its going to be a bumpy ride!"

The new M35 was pushed for all she was worth, swerving in and out of windshield high debris and dodging siege pulses from the drop ship. A large embankment of fallen rubble and the remains of the second drop ship destroyed that day blocked the road, Liara and Tali squealed as Samus pulled the rover to her right, mounting the concave wall such was their speed, nearly traveling upside down. Thankfully, the smoke helped to impede the view of the Geth, covering the team's approach as the vehicle righted itself and raced down the diagonal section of the sky-way, even as the metal wasp above managed to outstrip them.

It swung round ninety degrees and dropped four heavy, anti-tank class units, Juggernaut Primes, all armed with personal rocket launchers before flying off and around the second tower. Samus brought the tank into the lower dried up canal as a salvo of missiles shot by overhead, other Geth units had set up a command post and began to fire, their rounds zipping off the M35's kinetic barriers.

"The boys at R&D gave her a few upgrades!" Shouted Aran to Garrus as they reached a hundred and fifty miles an hour, "let her loose Vakarian!" The Turian happily complied, firing the _255mm_ mass accelerator canon, the round, clocked at nearly half of light speed, reduced the four red automatons to carbon scorch marks on the ancient stone.

Finally, the team reached the underbelly of the second building and began to pick up scattered radio transmissions. _"She's my daughter czzczzzcc I won't give up on her czzz"_

"Could that be a surviving science team?" Suggested Liara.

"Only one way to find out," replied Wrex, taking out his smaller black shotgun and pumping in a fresh thermal clip!

_"We've got movement,"_ continued the female voice, _"some kind of vehicle, not one of the Geth." _

"Okay everyone, we're reaching the transmission source, lets all be on our best behaviour, we don't want to scare the hypocrites... Much." Growled Aran, she'd dealt with far too many morons in the 'scientific community' before._  
><em>

Exo-geni certainly didn't run a monopoly on competent security personnel, Samus and her team bowled them over with biotics and less than lethal air soft clips, driving the scared scientists into a corner, the man in charge, a skin-headed Asian with a bad attitude stepped up to the plate.

"That's close enough!" He cried shrilly, waving what looked like his first hand gun ever held. A look of morbid terror on his face as he was confronted with the tall warrior before him and her motley crew.

"Relax, Jeong," a wrinkled, older woman with brown hair, the one over the radio advised him, "they're obviously not Geth and if they wanted to kill us they could have."

"They're some kind of task force sent by a rival corporation!" He raved in return, beginning to turn red as Samus ignored him, walking over to scan and copy files from some of the scattered terminals.

"Hey! You can't do that! He raised his pistol but it didn't get half way before Garrus cracked him on the cheekbone with the butt of his rifle, downing the pathetic excuse for a man in one blow. Jeong, to his credit, tried to get up, only to be met with a barrel jab to the diaphragm that sent him wheezing to the floor and clutching his guts; his gun dropping from limp fingers.

"I'd stay still if I were you," snarled Garrus viciously.

"Don't mind him, he only cares about the company," the woman said absentmindedly as Samus finished uploading files from a researcher named Hossle (according to his name tag), despite his whimpered protestations.

Ethan Jeong staggered back to his feet, looking murderous. "And you trust too easily, Juliana."

Wrex and Tali were busy confiscating weapons from the private security goons and melting them down into omni gel but Juliana Baynham was not overly concerned, thankful that those only concerned about the 'company interests' had been quickly neutralised, which she voiced to the squad's imposing leader. "Just glad to see a friendly face," she began as Samus removed her helmet to speak to her, "thought we were the only Humans left on this planet."

"Not quite," the Spectre reassured her, speaking for the first time, she had very little patience for these people. "I have another squad down at the southern pole, they're holding down Zhu's Hope, Fai Dan and some of the colonists are still alive."

"Thank God, but you," she pointed at Jeong accusingly, you said they were all dead!"

"I said they were _probably_ all dead!" He retorted childishly.

"Its no picnic up there, I can tell you that much," continued Aran, "the Geth have been hammering them hard."

"I know what you mean, those damn synthetics are relentless," said Juliana, unmistakeably of the same opinion.

"We'll be launching an assault on their stronghold soon, I'll find information there which you probably wouldn't want in the wrong hands, if you want to tell me anything now..."

"Hold up! Those headquarters are private property soldier!" Disputed Jeong whiningly.

"That's the best kind of property to fight through," smirked Samus, Garrus's eyes lit up at the comment, "besides, what are you going to do about it?"

Jeong made an odd rasping noise in his throat, as if he were on the verge of going on a tourette syndrome, expletive laced verbal rampage. Instead he backed down meekly.

"I thought so," nodded Samus as Jeong slunk away with his tail between his legs.

"Commander, before you go, my daughter, Lizbeth...She's missing at headquarters." Begged Juliana tearfully.

"You shouldn't waste time poking around," Jeong yelped petulantly, "we can make a full account of our casualty list, after the Geth are gone." Wrex punched him in the stomach, felling him like a cut pine tree as he collapsed in a heap.

"Thank you Wrex," sighed Samus in relief, "ancestors he was getting on my nerves. We'll find her Juliana, I swear to you." The middle-aged woman thanked her profusely, Samus and her team all turned to head onwards, leaving Jeong and his lackeys disarmed and helpless. "Okay, let's move out!"

* * *

><p>After destroying a couple of Colossi laying in wait at the last sky-way bridge, shit got real. The last drop ship flew alongside the supported road, blasting pulse after pulse at the Mako, Wrex pulled Garrus down from the gunner's chair and hopped in himself, firing as many shells as was physically possible and cracking the ships armour. It was then that the Geth changed tack, they began to target the slanted struts <em>underneath<em> the bridge, breaking them away.

"That's not good!" Cried Liara as the permacrete buckled beneath them and began to crack apart, huge slabs of stone separating while Wrex pummeled the armoured hull with the finger-long rounds. Samus had to turn the vehicle more rapidly than ever to avoid opening pit falls and deep enough cracks that could jam the tanks wheels, Tali took charge.

"Aim for the neck partition Wrex!" She screamed, "Its a weak point!" The Battlemaster readily complied, sending three cannon shots between the 'head' and the 'abdomen.' The drop ship flickered with purple and blue electrical energy as the metal cracked in a ball of light, flames billowed out of the front, then it helicoptered down and behind the speeding vehicle, smashing straight through the weakened rock and breaking the long bridge in two.

"Okay that's not good!" Liara repeated as the track began to collapse away, rapidly gaining on them and threatening to plunge them to their doom. By the skin of their teeth, the team managed to make it to the headquarters as over three hundred tonnes of stone and steel crashed down on the planet's surface. Sweeping up a dust storm that engulfed the Exo-geni property, Samus was just able to make out the silhouette of the Geth frigate as she and her four friends exited the tank, latched onto the building like some parasitic insect.

"Whew," Garrus exhaled, doubled over and clutching his knees, "guess that was a one way trip."

"Not on my life," Samus slapped him on the back encouragingly, causing him to straighten up in pain. "As soon as that ship is taken care of we'll be able to raise the Normandy, they'll be scrambling communications but if we disrupt their main neural hub. All the synthetics we missed will drop down deactivated. Then we can find out what the hell Saren was doing here."

The blackened stone entrance into the building gave way to more shifting dust, catching the light of the sunbeams as it shone down on the squad, making their way carefully through the rubble. Samus had her breathing under intense control, she could discern Geth troops on the upper storeys, preparing to fall on top of them and there were Hopper and Ghost classes in the iron girders that served as rafters. She had to use codewords so that the Geth couldn't read her hand signals. The vast room echoed with the sound of gunfire, explosions, biotic cracks and fizzling Geth chatter as they were perforated, but with no cover, Wrex, Samus and Liara took several flesh wounds. While the bio plasm medi gel could only cool, suture and sterilize the Asari's injury, the two mightier aliens felt their natural abilities accelerated by the genetic wonder until their deep scrapes sealed up completely.

A cyclonic barrier shield impeded their progress into the set-up offices and labs. Searching around, Tali found a ten foot drop into the lower levels that could be their ticket to gaining access. Slowly, the team descended as stealthily as possible, except for Wrex, who shook the earth upon his landing. The passage was cramped, Aran stalked forward in a crouched stance so that her allies could fire over her if necessary, Garrus did likewise next to her. Cautiously, they rounded the corner, noticing a fallen Geth platform to her right, Samus took two steps, then leaned back casually as she heard feet scuff some gravel the click of a trigger being pulled.

A grain of sand, lethal to all made of flesh and blood, or polymer and conductant, spat past the team, the shot reverberating around the cavern. Aran pulled her own pistol from its strip and fired, the bullet grazing her opponent's weapon, knocking it out of their hands and sending it tumbling down a gravel slope. Her team by that time, were all training their assorted firearms on their Commander's attacker.

"I'm so sorry! Came the squeaky voice of a young woman from the flickering red shadows, there was a large blaze burning away across from the cavern, its light reflected off the shallow waters surface, catching her in an odd light if it hadn't been for the hole in the wall releasing sun rays into the dark. She wore a beige green scientist's smock and had shoulder-length brown hair complete with similar features to another female Exo-geni scientist; minus the aging. "I've been down here for nearly two days, I thought you were one of those Geth."

"Lizbeth, I presume?" Replied Samus, holstering her HMW and advancing on her.

"Yeah that's me, how do you...?" she answered nervously, backing away from the Amazon woman in the vibrant armour.

"Your mother's alive and well, me and my people are here to defuse the situation, once we have, my ship will extract us and the other Exo-geni survivors back to Zhu's Hope." A look of relief passed across young Lizbeth's face, it was time to get some answers. "What are you doing here still, why didn't you evacuate with the others?"

"My own damn fault," she grimaced in regret, "everyone was running and I stayed behind to back up data. Next thing I knew, the Geth were landing on the building and had cut the power. I was trapped, I tried to get out but the way was blocked!"

Aran was onto her in a millisecond. "Your story is filled with more holes than Emmentaler cheese. What could possibly be urgent enough for you to take that risk? People were fleeing before the attack came? How would they know in advance, unless..._Jeong_." She whispered furiously, clenching her right fist. That slimy bastard must have been in Saren's pocket! He'd discovered what the Turian had intended for them when whatever arrangement he was making with the former Spectre had gone south. She had to give Saren props, if his Geth didn't succeed, then Exo-geni would try to contain the catastrophe themselves, or worse, salvage it. Lizbeth looked fairly downcast, she raised her head up and spoke clearly, deciding to come clean.

"Alright, I can't know for certain...but they're probably here for the Thorian. That would make the most sense."

"Thorian?" Liara seemed confused, "I've studied extensively on xenobiology and I have never heard of such a species." A trickle of ice went down Aran's spine, it was falling into place. That stench from the tunnel dead falls...

"What is it? Where is it?" She demanded of Lizbeth, who flinched at the Commander's harsh tone.

"Its an indigenous life-form, Exo-geni was...Studying it."

Samus had had just about enough of the walkabout delivery typical to the inhabitants of Feros. "You'll follow us after ten minutes to the upper levels and I'll want some clarification by then, understood?"

With Lizbeth hiding in the basement, Samus and the squad entered a small but high stairwell and began to surmount it cautiously, grains of stone dust falling down from the cases with every step.

"NO, I don't want to review protocol!" Rumbled a Krogan voice from above, Wrex swapped out his rifle for the shotgun. "Piece of Pyjack crap! Access encrypted files!" The same voice raged from above, Liara and Garrus SWAT turned around the room's entrance, Tali and Wrex remained on the right hand side and Samus simply stood in the square archway, her handgun held loosely at her side, she took off and tossed her helmet to Garrus, who fumbled it, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Aran could see the impressive bulk of a well fed Krogan from behind, he was angrily pushing buttons on a VI console and in the corner of the room was a table overflowing with empty nutrient bars and water canisters; it seems he'd been at it for the best part of two days trying to log in to the system.

"I am unable to comply," voiced the holo image replica of a human male in a smart business suit courteously. "Please contact your supervisor," Weyrloc Vogurn was not a happy reptile as he ground his teeth furiously, his pride too great to ask one of his Geth underlings to interface with the terminal.

"Dammit!" He snarled, "tell me what I want or I'll blow your virtual ass into actual dust!" The VI was quite immune to such threats however, having never being programmed to recognise the relatively complex idea.

"Please contact your supervisor for privileged access, then apply for a level four security exemption. Or make an appointment with -"

"STUPID MACHINE!" Vogurn bellowed, raising both fists as if to bring them down on the device and crush it into a dustbin.

"If there is nothing else sir, please step aside, there is a queue forming behind you for use of this console." Vogurn did a frenzied one-eighty at the VI's words, his cattle-like eyes falling on the huntress, who gave him a stereoscopic stare with her forward facing predator's eyes, the lenses of a bird of prey.

"Shepard..." He growled low in his throat, "good, I really, _really_ need to kill something, time for you - TO DIE!" And with that low of bestial fury, he seized his Katana shotgun and charged down the corridor at her.

Unfortunately, Vogurn didn't even get his dream of battling to the death with the first Human Spectre. Samus interrupted his moment of triumph by signalling her companions, Garrus jumped out of cover with his U-44 Volkov, Wrex with his modified Savage, Liara with her new Diamondback and Tali with her S-32 Avalanche. A hailstorm of rounds burst his barriers and reduced the ablative plates, flesh and redundant organs of his body to an orange steamy puddle of scattered viscera. Vogurn was only just alive, lying on his back, when he felt two rounds enter his thick skull.

Samus stepped over the dead Battlemaster's body, rubbed her HMW pistol as if it were a lucky charm, and holstered it. Reaching the VI terminal, she switched it back on from a motion sensor switch and accepted her helmet back from Garrus.

"Exo-geni corp reminds all staff that the discharging of weapons while on company property is strictly forbidden." Samus didn't wait for the VI to state its contingency inquiries, she ripped of a lower plate and fiddled with the wiring.

"I hate pop-ups," she informed her companions mildly. But the files Samus recovered after a couple of seconds hacking cracked the conspiracy wide open. The skyscraper which housed Zhu's Hope was also home to a subterranean flora known as Species 37. Residing deep in the foundations, it had infected the colonists through the inhalation of mind-altering spores, making them defend the creature zealously through operant conditioning in the form of nociceptor manipulation, if they refused, agony would be their reward, rendering them slaves to the creature's will. Some thralls were even given up to the creature, horribly mutated into mindless abominations; worse still, numerous samples had been transported off world to an unknown third-party before the Thorian became hostile, and before Saren had led a research party into the colony's depths, barely escaping with his life. The corporation had deliberately exposed over two hundred people to the creature in the name of _science..._Aran finished the job Vogurn had been about to start by kicking the console out of its screwed base on the floor.

"Let's take it down, the Geth, the Thorian, Exo-geni. This ends now." She vowed to all present. The Geth purge began in the room behind the energy shield, a platoon of shock troopers and Hoppers were obliterated with tech attacks courtesy of Tali and Garrus, unluckily, this attracted the attention of Vogurn's Krantt, six bull Krogan who came running pell-mell down another staircase and into the larger corridor, took one look at the squad and attacked in a serotonin deficiency fueled berserker rage.

Samus dropped her rifle in favour of her twin omni tool implements, from her right a blood orange angular blade blossomed with a wicked end, and from the other, one of her Yawara wrist bludgeons. She ducked under the first alien's shotgun blast and executed a back-spinning hammer fist while sweeping his legs out from underneath him. His plate cracked like a walnut shell just above the temple and one of his eyes suddenly became blood-shot, his limp body crashing into a pillar and sprawling to the floor, leaving an orange smear. The second hesitated for a moment too long as he brought his own weapon up to bash her over the head, Aran used his crest as a vault, twisting round in mid-air to bury her blade in the brown plate, the Krogan jolted and Samus revolved the holo dial, causing the blade to make a complete 360 degree gyration, splitting the blunt face and high crest in half from the inside out.

The other four were more than taken aback by the impromptu slaughter, Samus held on to her kill's hump and rolled backwards over it, kicking two of her prey in their veined, bulging throats as she did so, holding up the carcass as a meat shield to block the blaze of retaliatory gunfire. Wrex got into the thick of things, his shotgun decapitating one of the Krogan spectacularly; then he whipped out his jagged tooth dagger and nutted the one behind that, followed up with a biotically assisted thrust that pierced both hearts and cut open two lungs on the return pull. Hooking his dagger into it's cheek, he yanked the bull around to fall at Liara's feet, who employed her first warp fist in the heat of battle to brain him to death.

At the same time, Samus had thrown the corpse she'd been taking cover behind straight into the last two, bowling them over like nine-pins. Garrus sniped the fifth under the jaw from a distance and Tali projected a proximity mine straight down the last one's gullet as he sat up, gulping almost comically as he tried to stuff his hands down his throat, too late. A fountain of blood later and the N7 Guardian's team stood victorious.

"Well done Liara, couldn't have done it better myself," congratulated Samus as she toed the unmoving cadaver that the Asari archaeologist had delivered, Liara smiled.

"I have a good teacher."

At last, the squad managed to reach the floors where the Geth had breached the building, they had set up machinery and strange mechanical 'altars' with stasis locked balls of electro-shelled plasma, floating eerily. Two Geth were bowing prostrate to the clawed hand full of light, almost in prayer, their entreaties to Sovereign were harshly halted by a spray of bullets.

"Evil corporations, now Geth churches?" Stated Garrus, shaking his spiny head in bemusement.

"They don't serve any practical purpose..." Samus replied, scanning the construct, Tali joined her.

"Shepard is right, the artifacts seem to only act as ornaments, though I am picking up a range of infra-sound and other wave-lengths like"

"Get back!" Commanded Aran loudly, physically placing herself between Tali and the artifact and shepherding her away.

"What is it?" Asked Wrex, worried that there was something his Commander could sense that he couldn't.

"Its the same signal that Saren's ship was emitting, its dangerous, don't ask me how but it is," she was already boosting her psionic mind fortress to encompass her four friends, though it was much easier than Eden Prime. The artifact couldn't match the dreadnought's power. The team all trusted her for the faith she had vouched in them and left without a worry, except for Liara, who felt a tingle in her mind as if someone was influencing it from a distance, but that wasn't possible, was it?

Once they had all reached the upper level, they took the main control room: The Geth really had used up most of their foot soldiers, Samus was inspired to see her vastly diverse team work off each other. Masters in tech, marksmanship, brutality, ingenuity, biotics and spirit. Ripping the tin soldiers apart until there was nothing left. All save, the frigate, which had pierced the building with two sets of three titanium claws on several levels. Samus jury-rigged the old hangar doors by tuning the pressure gauges into the red zone, then slammed the keystone line with her omni tool's carbide coated forearm. With a tremendous groan of metal bracing against stone, the claw was jarred loose, exposing its synthetic fibrous innards which were then sheared through by the jaws of the hatch closing with over 30,000 Psi.

Rumbling, the side of the building cracked, then was torn away as the weight of the ship became too great to bear. Carrying a good deal of the wall, plus electrical tubing and floors with it, the hundred metre long ship slipped from its other purchases and plummeted off the headquarters with the crew watching its final trip; one earth shattering crash and an immense dust plume later and Feros was rid of the Geth forever.

Garrus pumped the air, "Hell yes! That's how we do things!"

"This was my kind of mission," agreed Wrex, punching the Turian on the shoulder to repair his reputation for supporting him even in passing. "Fight some great skirmishes, and round it all off with some beautiful carnage."

"I hope we killed every one of those Geth bastards." Seethed Tali with an unusual streak of venom, not entirely unexpected given her people's grudge against the machines.

"The shield and jamming emitters should now be offline," Liara notified, shaking from the after-effects of her combat high.

"Well done everyone, you've made me proud." Samus told them all genially. "Time to hail Joker," before she could do so, _Jeff_ sent them a communique, he must have had something critical to tell if the repeated calls while their radio signals had been blocked were any indication.

_"I repeat, Normandy to shore party. Are you reading? Come on Commander talk to me!"_

"We're all fine Joker, the Geth were disrupting our communications, _were_. What's the sit rep over at the colony?"

_"The situation? The Normandy's in lock-down here Commander, something's happened to the colonists. Kaiden and Ashley got everyone back on board safely in the Mako, Chase and Barret were injured in the firefight but Karin's got them stabilized. Then these things, these mutant zombies started banging on the hull, trying to claw their way in, they're freaking out, Jamie wanted to break out the Firestorms!" _

Like the born leader she was but had refused to be until nine years past, Aran took charge. "The damage is superficial, they can't do us any real hurt while you all stay inside. Now spread your wings and fly, I want full extraction within two minutes." She peered over the edge, noticing how many floors they would have to traverse back down to the bridge. "Make that five minutes Joker."

"We're on our way! Sit tight, Joker out."

The team gathered what sealed files they could lift from the remaining Geth and Exo-geni terminals on their way out, meeting Lizbeth at the now defunct barrier shields. Samus grabbed her by the upper arm and propelled her along at a fast pace, the young woman quickly realised what the soldiers must have discovered.

"Look I was afraid!" Lizbeth implored as she stumbled along, the Commander's strides were too long for her to keep up. "They threatened me when I told them I wanted to stop the tests, told me I'd be next! What was I supposed to do?" Samus didn't answer and yanked her to walk faster. "I stayed behind to send a message to colonial affairs when the Geth attacked, but the power cut before I could tell them where the Thorian is. This…wasn't suppose to happen..." She finished disconsolately, they were nearly at the entrance.

"Colonial affairs," Samus scoffed. "What would they have done? Write a very angry letter to Exo-geni complaining how angry they are? They didn't even fund this expedition you know." Lizbeth paled and put a hand to her mouth in shock. "There's only a few things Jeong and his ilk respect: Money, prestige, advancement and force. Which of the four do you think I'm prepared to use on him? What with the director of operations and all his high-ranking scientists being incinerated by the Geth, Jeong's the only representative left and by the resting ghosts I'll get my answers from him!"

She bundled Lizbeth into the Mako, Garrus and Wrex got in after under their own steam, leaving Tali, Liara and the Commander to observe a welcoming sight, the pall of dust was blown aside thanks to immense mass effect fields generated by Normandy, bold black and red of the SR-1's insignia bolstering morale no end. She hovered to the left, then banked to reveal the cargo bay. Samus hopped into the Mako followed by her companions and sped forwards to the edge of the parapet.

"Oh God," sniveled Lizbeth, "you're not going to, agghhhh!" Aran spurred the tank onwards, pressing a red button for a temporary nitro boost. Everyone grabbed ceiling handrails as the M35 rocketed skywards, making the huge leap from the broken bridge and into the Normandy's ten decelerator ME channels, the vehicle was brought level and neatly landed in the bay tracks, slowing to a halt.

The whole marine and security detail were present and they cheered for all they were worth as Samus, the team and Lizbeth clambered out. Alenko, Fredericks and Williams ran forward and embraced her in a group hug just before she put aside her helmet for the rest of the day. Everyone but Wrex and Lizbeth received a similar greeting while the Normandy turned to head back to the southern port.

"That was a close one Commander," Kaidan beamed, a statement reiterated by all gladly.

"We'd thought you guys were dead!" Said Ashley with renewed cheer, "when that ship came and attacked you on the second sky way." Samus tipped her hand graciously towards Wrex, to indicate who had been responsible for that save. The crew wrung his hands and slapped him on the hump in admiration, the grizzled Battlemaster even managed to crack a smile at the tribute!

"What now Commander?" Asked crewman Felawa, Samus touched her cochlear implant, listened for a few seconds, then looked at him and all assembled.

"Now...We pay Exo-geni a visit, Pressly has just informed me that three FTL-ready shuttles have landed, looks like their people want to eradicate any evidence of their foul up, I say we introduce them TO THE MARINES!" She projected, raising her fist.

"OORAH!" The group bellowed their approval.

"Lowe, Tanaka, Greico, Crosby, all of you," she noticed Chase and Barret coming down from the garage lift, patched up and ready for payback, she nodded at the two of them, "suit up!"

* * *

><p>"Finally you idiots are here!" Griped Jeong as twenty seven mercenaries in Elkoss Combine <em>Assassin<em>-branded armour left their shuttles and began forming a fresh perimeter. "Lieutenant Yanos!" he spat at their leader, "when are you going to make this problem go away!" Yanos did not seem pleased at being spoken to in such a manner but he informed Ethan of the heavy explosives they had brought to deal with Species 37 and several batches of genetically modified nerve gas that when released, would ensure a one hundred percent mortality rate on the Thorian's thralls. A side-note that was not lost on Juliana Baynham.

"Are you mad Jeong? Tell Yanos to dilute the nerve agent for God's sake, you don't have to kill these people!" She pleaded as the men got to work prepping the canisters for an air drop.

"We have an open channel to the stockholders Juliana! I'll do as they tell me, not some middling scientist who only has work because I allowed it!" Shrieked Jeong, his eyes popping madly. Juliana backed off but glanced at the now operational radio transceiver. Ethan, Yanos and his men had their backs to her and her colleagues were also taking furtive looks at the device, hoping to call for some real help, Ms. Baynham steeled herself and thought:

_"Fuck it,"_ she opened a public broadcast channel and whispered into the mic, "this is Juliana Baynham, anyone who can hear this, they're going to murder the colonists! Please help us!"

"Get her away from there!" Screamed Jeong, growing more and more deranged, he retrieved his pistol, yes she definitely knew too much, all of the surviving scientists did...Juliana was restrained by a burly merc.

"You can't do this Jeong!" She shouted.

"Everyone shut up! Let me think!"

"You won't get away with this!"

"GET HER OUT OF HERE!"

'BOOM!' An M35 Mako smashed through and over the low concrete divide, scattering the mercenaries, while down from the sloped entrance, thunder flashes and smoke grenades incapacitated three and allowed Ashley and six other Alliance marines to storm the front. Kaiden led another strike team rappelling down the south wall, immobilizing several with biotics and allowing his comrades to restrain them. Samus Aran took down five of the mercs herself from on top of the Mako, once again forcing them into a corner, it seemed like stalemate. Yanos now held several of the scientists as hostages even though fifteen of his boys had been knocked down or out. There were twenty people in the Navy unit all together, including four aliens and their Commander, crouched atop the tank with a knowing smile on her face and a HMW handgun resting on her knee.

The mercenary leader's eyes widened in astonishment. "Commander Shepard?" He breathed in terror, his men flinched as they opposed the marines but Yanos knew they were now outnumbered and outgunned. Their only hope was her mercy.

"Shepard!" Spluttered Jeong in disbelief, "shit! I knew it was too much to hope that the Geth would kill you!" Even now, with many blue laser sights alighting on his troops and Ashley's in particular hovering over his heart, Ethan was an obnoxious twat. "I've read some interesting facts about you in the Exo-geni databases, I know what happened during the Skyllian Blitz, but this isn't like that! It doesn't have to end the same way!"

"How this ends depends entirely on you Jeong," leered Aran frighteningly as she stepped down from the roof. Once dismounted, she snapped her fingers. Jamie and Marcus shoved the prisoners forward, making them kneel before the front line. "Surrender now, and you get to walk out of here alive."

"Its never that easy is it Shepard? Communications are back up, and it turns out Exo-geni wants this place purged. Which is what I'm doing!" Jeong screeched hysterically. Samus drew her gun, everyone tensed.

"Lieutenant Yanos was it?" Quested Aran neutrally, the mercenary leader swallowed nervously at her addressing him.

"Yes."

"Here are your men back," she nudged them with her boot and after some more encouragement they scampered over to their own group, with their hands still bound. Both men were confused and before they could inquire Samus spoke again. "That man you're defending has worked with an avowed enemy of the Council, Saren Arterius, who I am currently tracking under a mandate from Special Tactics and Recon."

Yanos eyed Jeong suspiciously as the N7 Operative maintained her argument.

"Jeong _will_ be in my custody by the end of today one way or another, I won't let you re-purpose this colony and I won't concede to your damn corporation. Put down your weapons, no-one needs to die."

"There's something here far more _valuable_ than a few colonists!" Jeong worded softly in Yanos's ear. Trying subtly to grease his palms.

"Lieutenant," commanded Samus, her tone making it clear that there was no room for negotiation. "Take Mr. Jeong into custody and I'll see that you get a personal note of commendation from myself. Refuse..."

Yanos sighed in defeat, then laid a hold of Jeong while dropping his rifle, his men followed suit. Doing the smart thing.

"Get your hands off me! Do you know who I am? No-one will miss I few colonists!"

"And no-one will miss you either," said Aran as the mercenaries placed cable ties around his wrists and ankles, frogmarching him to the Mako and placing him under armed guard, everyone began to lower their guns and laugh at the imprisoned instigator, Samus leaned into the cabin as Jeong was tossed unceremoniously onto the mat.

"You don't know who you're messing with Shepard!" He whined and wailed like a big, ugly baby. "Exo-geni will sue your ass! Place your odds on escaping that!"

"You're a bean counter Jeong, I'm a Spectre. Its not my odds I'd be worried about right now." And with that Samus stepped back, Crosby slapped some duct tape over Jeong's mouth and he and Tanaka slammed the door closed in his face to adulation from the science team.

"Mom!" Samus looked about to see Lizbeth reuniting with Juliana. She smiled, at least something was right in the world. After calming the crowd of fifty people down, Aran explained the situation to them all. Charging the scientists with attenuating the chemical for riot-suppression deployment, delivering medicinal shots for vaccinating themselves from the creature's spores, pooling all airfoil canisters and upgradeable disc grenades and sorting the forty seven soldiers into five groups of eight. Leaving five Alliance and two PMC troops behind. It was time to free Zhu's Hope once and for all.

* * *

><p>The operation lasted most of the afternoon. Yanos and his mercs accompanied the M35's into the tunnel entrance of the port, serving as useful cannon fodder while battling Thorian Creepers in the dark. Though this was more due to their ineptitude and clashing with marine tactics than a cruel trick on Aran's part, however, it did serve a twin purpose by getting rid of those buffoons in a manner which didn't look suspicious, as soon as the scientists had been secured, Samus radioed Russel, Marcus and Wahib, who disposed of the last two cleanly. Mainly in part, because the huntress had cracked one of the major files during the trip back to the port. It had contained mention of dealings with Cerberus, Samus had decided to put them to death then and there and have their shuttles destroyed with some of their own C9 plastique.<p>

Only Garrus and the Commander had ever taken part in non-lethal pacification operations, so they joint-briefed the teams on the appropriate use of force, where to put air soft projectiles to guarantee unconsciousness and how to protect each other against people who wanted to maim and kill in return. The monsters which the Thorian had birthed now ran into the light of day, Vakarian lay at the open cargo bay door as the Normandy circled the inhabited area, sniping any of the long-clawed beasts while on a safety harness. Samus, Tali, Wrex, Josh Liara, Kaidan, Jamie and Ashley let loose with squash rounds or grenade launcher attachments, gassing the rabid colonists into submission.

Aran slotted in another anti-spore gas grenade as she knelt at the edge of the ramp, took aim, and launched it into the centre of a group protecting the crane, watching as they slumped to the floor in shock, the pollen particles scourged from their motoreceptors. Wordlessly, Samus unclipped her larger rifles in favour of her shotgun and pistol and dived into the decelerator channel, landing on the top entrance of the downed freighter and rolling to absorb the impact before alighting off and onto the ground.

Distracting the colonists left standing allowed her team mates to land, then they performed a rush and clear through the freighters compartments, forced to knock the last half dozen of them into next week. Samus sighed in self-satisfaction, a job well done she observed, looking round at the numerous prostrate colonists as they came back outside. Joker would now land back at the proper docking bay while the team from the tunnels regrouped with their Commander, speak of the devil, Yanos had arrived, tailed by the SR-1's security detail, the Exo-geni scientists and the rest of Aran's marines.

"We got em' all Shepard!" Cackled Yanos drunkenly, his armour stained with red blood. Samus already knew what he had done by the time Craig informed her.

"Russel tells me you murdered two colonists," she began airily, switching up her air soft clip for a harpoon clip without looking at the ratty bearded dog of war.

Yanos grinned in response, "they were nuts, would have killed me, so I took em' down. Lost all my boys though, oh well, more shares for me from our employer!" He forced some laughter.

Samus smiled along with him, cocking the slide of her polished, gold-striped, jet black handgun. "A man who makes an opportunity out of a catastrophe, a _fine_ quality in any soldier, a reward for this brave man!" She called to her allies as she turned away from Yanos, they began to laugh along with her; including the gormless soldier of fortune in question.

"So, what is it?"

The Chozo / Metroid / Human hybrid didn't even look his way as she aimed behind her and shot him through his paper weak shields and throat, he fell on his back spasmodically, clutching at the geyser that jetted through his fingers, then fell still. But the excitement wasn't over yet, as Fai Dan came limping into view, his face screwed up in agony. Everyone watched cautiously as the infected man approached, Aran considered winging him in the shoulder, then she made a sign gesture to her associates.

"I tried to fight it but it get's in your head you can't even imagine the pain." He staggered to the centre of what could have been a prosperous home and drew a civilian heavy pistol from his belt, his arms shaking and a tic beating in his temple and cheek.

"It wants me to stop you! But I won't! I WON'T -" Fai Dan was jamming the handgun under his chin but before he could pull the trigger, a stun dart caught him between the shoulder blades and laid him out, to reveal Tali standing a few feet behind, Aran bowed her head in respect, for the Pilgrim's sneaking skills were legendary.

* * *

><p>A foul wind blew up from the dark staircase as Samus stared into the gloom, then nodded to her companions, the team of ten all together for the first time that day in battle. As one they descended into the sinister underground chamber, traveling deep down into the foundations.<p>

"Smells worse than that tannery I used to live next to," grumbled Wrex as they advanced down the central corridor, the lichen and mould on the walls getting thicker and the wheezing of some huge animal louder.

"Well all we have to do is find this Thorian," Garrus reminded him "and..." He stopped dead at the sight before him, highlighted as it was by sun beam diffusion arcing past, revealing the beast in all its hideous glory.

"Keelah," gasped Tali.

"Kruban," Wrex invoked similarly.

"By the Goddess," agreed Liara.

"Fuck fuck fuckity fuck!" Whimpered Fredericks in misery.

"Holy crap!" Concurred Kaidan, Ashley crossed herself, the marines cursed in chorus, Wahib in Hindi.

"They never covered this in my training manuals," Garrus finished lightly, trying to defuse the tension, he looked to his Commander for her reaction.

Samus balled her right hand into a tense cudgel of bone and muscle. She was unblinking and resolute.

"We are going to need bigger guns."

From out of the dusk shambled a multitude of Thorian creatures which had been replicated or transfigured: Human colonists ranging from skeletal to freakishly muscled, Varren hounds, some with multiple heads, wispy Inusannon and partially formed Asari Creepers. A general mob of disgusting and depraved thralls, all of them surrounding the Commander and her team.

The Thorian's oral cavity contracted, then birthed a dripping, slime-covered, green skinned Asari, she was quite naked. But seemed far more, 'whole' than the lesser minions. With intricate scalp fringes, unique facial markings and olive iris's that had somehow survived the mutation process. With a wide, confident stance, the Asari thrall stepped forward and stared down the squad with a hard gaze, speaking in a resonant, scraping voice as the Thorian's mouth tentacles waved eerily in time to her spoken words.

"Invaders!" She proclaimed, "every step you take is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, only good to dig or decompose. I speak for the old growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" Wrex grunted yearningly as he beheld the full-bodied woman before him, his eyes widening slightly in badly chosen lust. Liara quailed at the mockery of her own kind. And the marines were too busy watching the encroaching hostiles.

"You enslaved the colonists, altered their minds," challenged Aran, drawing her shotgun. "I don't know what Saren wanted with you but I just want you dead!" She raised the modded boom stick.

"The Thorian extends through the earth and back through the ages. It is part of this world," seethed the Asari hatefully. "You can no more kill_ it_, then you can _cut_ the sky." Samus rolled her eyes in response, remembering just how many skies she had wiped from the face of the Universe.

"Permit me to enlighten you then," informed Aran sardonically, the one-handed blast of her HMWS liquidizing the plant clone on the spot in a wet explosion of snotty water and shredded fibre. The thralls screeched in anger, swarming the team, hoping to overwhelm them with pure numbers. But working with one of the greatest martial artists of all time tended to place your own hand-to-hand skill above the average par, Garrus lashed out, bashing skulls in and kicking away any dogs that tried to jump for his jugular. Andrews and Singh were an excellent double act, the Indian mincing some of the horde with his machete while the Asian-Briton cleared some room with his Kung Fu. Tali was a monster with her high-frequency poniard and Karpov pistol combination, dancing around her foes and stabbing them in the back, gouging at their eyeless sockets or the place where their ears used to be.

Liara continued to impress the Commander with her grasp of biotic-enhancements, watching as she punched and shoved any zombie that got too close for comfort, sometimes pulping their forms beyond recognition. her left flank was protected by the veritable killing-machine that was Urdnot Wrex, both his hulking form and twin chainsaw Spectre weapons carving out his niche with muzzle flash and growling teeth. Often bashing or biting them with his mammoth head to mix things up. He even managed to ignore the acid some of them projectile-vomited onto him due to his controlled blood rage regeneration.

Ashley, Russel, Kaidan and Josh kept up a steady stream of ammunition to keep the Creepers at bay but they were ridiculously outnumbered, starting to be pushed back to the bottleneck tunnel where the Creepers would engulf and crush them. They probably already would have if not for the huntress being among their number. Faster than could be believed, she was among the crowd of monsters, at first pulverizing them with biotics and rifle butts, then deploying her twin omni blades and beginning to slice and dice her way into the rabble. Garrus was afraid for her life, certain that she would be flanked and torn to shreds or blinded with acid but he couldn't reach her! Not that Aran was having too much trouble, this was merely light exercise to her, the glowing, right-angled, Isosceles shaped, hot knives, cutting through them with hardly any resistance as she piled them waist high, decapitating three or four at a time with each swipe. Any that managed to get around to her sides were thrown or grappled, to be stomped underfoot by her allies, it was time to change the battle plan and go on to phase two.

Revolving on the spot, Samus hewed their legs out from under them as her armour was scratched and scarred, diverting their acidic spit with minor biotic fields, then she back-flipped repeatedly to her allies' ranks while gathering her power. Upon landing, she struck the concrete floor, a nova shock wave of dark energy shot forth, it macerated the twenty closest to her and staggered the throngs furthest away, finally breaking their ranks.

"Tali! Fredericks! To the upper levels! I'll cover you!" She roared, hoping that the first part of her plan would work, Garrus tossed her another heavy weapon retrieved from the Normandy's armoury. An armour piercing Z-17 grenade launcher with an M-451 Firestorm attachment under-slung. The jet of synthetic dentra oil ignited, toasting the Creepers as she swept it back and forth, once her line of sight was clear, she launched four of the miniature rockets into the Thorian's pus-filled eyes and between the thick carapace. It 'screamed' in apparent agony as they detonated, blasting a good chunk of the organism's face away.

But the ancient plant organism was resilient, its layers of chitinous skin had cracked to expose a purple-veined nerve cluster near the top of its fat form.

"Spread out to the upper levels, anything that looks like its anchoring that thing, plant some C9 gel on it," she told the rest of her squad while handing the weapon back to Garrus, they dispersed. The Thorian was huffing again, ready to birth another Asari clone. Samus modded her pistol with a grapnel attachment and inched out onto a thin ledge, firing the hook and line into the roof. She clipped the HMWP to her belt winch and began to zip upwards, past the Thorian's roots and straight to the fifth floor; where the Thorian's weak point could be exploited. On the way she covered her allies with shotgun fire and biotics before pulling herself up into the top chamber.

The sound of charging biotics caught her attention as another Asari clone floated upwards, ready to stop the huntress from what Saren had done before. From below, Samus could hear her allies deploying the gas, melting the Creepers into ooze faster than the Thorian could replicate them.

"Its over for your master," she updated cheerily, removing her handgun from its climbing mod as the Asari glowed with Indigo fire. "If my squad doesn't sever all the nodes joining the room..." Samus held up her remaining collection of seven disc grenades in their isomorphic protected dispenser, she deployed and armed them all in a little cylinder shape. "I throw these right into its open sore and see what the reaction is." Her left arm glowed with gold and blue-shifting light of her omni tool and biotics respectively, assembling an overload mine that was sealed to the payload, then infused the make-shift gas bomb with a warp field strong enough to tear through the spongy muscle of the wound and embed itself into the Thorian's head.

Twitching, the clone watched Samus carefully as she bounced the device up and down in her palm. The huntress walked to the edge and surveyed the Thorian below, any second now. Aran hurled the bomb downwards, the Asari cried out in horror and was able to knock the bomb away with her biotics onto the third level. This left her wide open for the Spectre's counter attack, her throw field snapping the clone's arm and knocking her flying, the biotic duel commenced.

Recovering, the clone hurled a warp and lift field in quick succession, Samus redirected both of them past her to smash chunks of stone from the wall. Another two clones flew up to do battle from behind, a quick parry of the second's throw field was reformed into a slam, increasing the third one's barrier until her spinal discs slipped from the gravity crushing down on her. The other two's attacks were again blocked until Samus charged the one on the right, splattering her against a pillar, the crippled one summoned the most powerful reave field she could muster and slashed at the huntress. Only for the move to gash the same pillar as Samus axial-torso rolled out of the way and hit her with a siphon reave field in return.

The last clone's face went slack as her body was drained of colour, then the suppleness and motor functions of her muscles, arteries and bones. She fell on her face as her lignified legs gave way and crumbled into grey ash. Aran absorbed the purple corona traveling from the Asari, to her left hand, savouring the energy boost she received. Then she whirled round, Liara had entered the top floor holding the retrieved bomb, she had seen everything.

"How...?" Began Liara, staring at the dissolving remains of the clone but she was halted by a wail of rage sounding throughout the cavern, the Thorian knew its thralls had been defeated once more and that the marines were retreating to the stable base of the upper floors.

"Commander," radioed Fredericks, "the charges are set, I'm sure you'd like to do the honours!"

"Gladly," She opened her omni tool as the team entered the room, waited for a second, then activated the C9.

The seven or so explosions obliterated the Thorian's leverage, making it sag and shriek further as the tendons strained to keep the twenty tonne beast aloft. It was not to be as they all snapped at once, sending it plunging into the depths of the planet. Aran primed the bomb for proximity detection and threw it underarm down after. Twenty seconds later, there was a dull 'thoom' as the creature hit ground-zero, followed by a spray of gas and acid shooting up from the abyss. Ensuring that it could never reproduce and threaten organics again.

Before the team could rejoice in their victory, a unique gestation pod began to pulsate and stretch. In fact, all the minor forms of plant life were withering away. Everyone looked on as the Commander stepped up to investigate the shell coming apart and releasing a green, watery liquid before birthing a slim, blue woman, an Asari. One with root-like nasogastric feeding tubes and catheters pulling away from her nude form as she fell and splashed to the floor; covered in the clear afterbirth. Spiny roots also separated and shriveled from her along the spine and on the back of her skull.

"Jesus Christ," breathed Ash in pity, Samus rushed over to the unmoving alien and performed CPR, realising that the Asari must have been part of Benezia's retinue. Liara and Kaidan were also on hand to bring the Asari around with medication, they restarted her breathing, cleaned her wounds and Tali took off part of her outer veil to keep the woman warm as she had begun to shiver violently in some sort of delirium. Samus noticed that the Asari had the same markings as the green ones she had fought, so they had been clones of this thrall...

Eventually, they were able to revive her, sitting her against the wall with a small camp fire burning nearby, it was way under 10 degrees Celsius down there. "I'm I'm free!" She breathed heavily, sounding feverish, "I suppose I should thank you. For releasing me." Clambering unsteadily to her feet, Liara helped to support her.

"Are you alright?" Asked Samus probingly, shooing the others away so that she could start the interrogation.

"I'm fine…or I will be, in time." Murmured the commando tiredly.

"Tell me everything, I'll know if your lying."

"My name is Shiala. I serve, I_ served_ Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. We joined him to try and guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling, she lost her way."

The N7 Defender's penchant for intrigue was not nearly whetted. "He can manipulate the minds of others with those Reaper artifacts he found near the Veil can't he?"

"Yes, Benezia underestimated Saren, just as I did. His vessel...An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it _Sovereign_." Samus listened intently, "it can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to Saren's will, the process is subtle, it can take days, weeks but in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world, he needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian, to learn it's secrets. Therefore, I was sacrificed to cement their alliance."

"Well there's a special realm of torment reserved for traitors like him, he's quick to betray everyone he can." Growled Aran, remembering Nihlus.

"Indeed he is, the Thorian was no exception. The Geth were ordered to get rid of all the evidence of the Thorian's existence after he had got what he wanted. Saren knows you're searching for the Conduit, that you're following his steps. The Thorian was attacked so you could not gain the ancestral memories of the Prothean race."

"So that's what he's after, he needs to interpret something encoded within the beacon's vision!" She clarified excitedly.

"Yes, they were unclear to him and to you, confusing. The imprints were only -"

"Meant for a Prothean mind." Finished Samus for her, she had been correct! Shiala nodded wearily.

"To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. For the Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it."

"And then the Thorian transmitted that endemic ancestral memory to you...And you to Saren." Went on Samus, Garrus was flaming the remains of the pod away with the Firestorm while the rest of the team watched the exchange on tenterhooks. "This knowledge, this..._Cipher_, only a telepath like the Asari could hope to find it in the first place, but how?" Shiala looked uncomfortable at the request, speaking more evenly and measurably now.

"I simply sensed it, the Cipher when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. It always existed, on a deep, innate level of consciousness."

"Shiala, I need that knowledge if I'm going to stop Saren." Samus closed the gap and looked down at her intently, the former commando saw no other option.

"There is a way, have you ever mind melded with another Asari, Commander?"

"In a comportment not suitable for discussion right now," replied Samus slickly, arousing laughs from some of the males on her team. "And any who tried without my express permission never regained their sanity after I was finished with them," she warned.

Shiala was understandably apprehensive. "You do not make threats lightly Commander, from _here_ I can perceive that your mental defences are formidable, more redoubtable than even Benezia's," Wrex whistled his esteem and Liara's suspicions deepened. "But if you wish to acquire the Cipher then you cannot resist the meld; unless you wish to scrub one of our mind's clean or worse, burn the others memories over our past life so that there is nothing left of our true selves."

Samus paced up and down, ruffling her hair in a moment of crisis, if she allowed such open contact, the kind of intimate contact that she had blocked from even the most psionically-gifted lovers she had experienced throughout her life. Then Shiala would _know_ who she was, but if she didn't Saren would find the Conduit before them and the Reapers would return. There was only one way to finish this, she had fought enough wars across her mindscape to know that any attempts to acquire the Cipher while protecting her past would end in disaster. She had been trained to attack and to defend, never to allow someone in. It was like trying to protect one castle wall while opening the far gate!

"Don't worry Shepard," claimed Garrus with his typical zeal, "she tries anything during the meld and we'll deal with her."

"No, stand back all of you, don't interfere." She looked Shiala in the eye, "let's begin."

"Very well," Shiala replied, pushing back her outer blanket so she could use both arms. "Relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another." Samus slowed her heartbeat as Grey Voice had taught her, loosening her muscles and letting her mind fortress shields down, trying to ignore how vulnerable she felt for the first time in a _long_ time. "Every action sends ripples across the Galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit." Intoned Shiala mantra-like, Samus recognised it as a passage from the Siari Holy Book. "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the Universe, Commander. Embrace eternity!"

_Orange-bathed planetoid, blue sentient planet of poison, home destroyed, outcast, outsider, avenger. Reapers, the great dragon under the sun, Zebes falling part, the Alimbics cowering in terror before the ultimate power, the Protheans weeping as mushroom clouds neared. Sovereign shrieking a cry of the damned from within the hollow earth, worlds collapsing, fighting on the front lines, a billion faces flitting past, the armour forged by the gods themselves, the Chozo race, elder and wiser than any other, Old Bird, Grandpa, five-thousand years old before ascending to the beyond. Trillions of races, more than she could ever meet, even with her longevity, multiple whirlpools of stars...Yes, for all their might, the Reapers were nothing compared to this clarity of existentialism, they were all dead inside, nothing, nothing, next to life, they were not to be feared by the child at heart, but ignored, ultimately disregarded as illogical travesties, whether born of man or machine they were not transcendent, the Universe itself, was transcendent... _

The meld ended, Samus opened her eyes to look at Shiala. The Asari stepped back and glanced at the floor, stunned beyond words at what she had witnessed. Then her eyes narrowed, looking at the stranger before her with a completely new perspective, trying to contain the marvels and horrors she had seen. Samus looked as if she was experiencing a lesser version of her epiphany as she absorbed the Prothean memories, staring over Shiala's shoulder, lost in her thoughts. With slow deliberateness, Aran drew her pistol.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cliffhanger! I had to end this chapter eventually, so this seemed like a good place to do so! Later!  
><strong>


	22. Genes of her Forbearers

**A/N: Well I hope we're all doing our part to stop the unreasonable censorship of this site, otherwise my story may be one of the first to be taken down; being an 'M' and all! Lets make our displeasure known, sign petitions against this idiocy, or it'll be like SOPA all over again. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I've got my last two A2 exams over the next fortnight so the chapter following this may be a bit slow in arriving. **

"_The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others life." _

_(Richard Bach)_

**Genes of her Forbearers**

"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are part of you now. It will take some time for you to comprehend this gift," ventured Shiala with a hint of fear, glancing down at the weapon by Samus's side, it was nigh identical to Saren's; save for a single gold stripe along the permanently-disengaged grip safety in place of his two beveled, blood red stripes of war paint.

"Are you alright Commander? A mind-meld can be exhausting." Liara quested uncertainly, taking a step towards her squad leader, Samus massaged her brow slowly, never taking her eyes of Shiala, the Prothean recollections were filed away, for now; there were more immediate concerns.

"You were working with Saren," the huntress's expression hardened. "For all I know you still are...I'll need to place you under arrest until I can ascertain your allegiances, is that clear?"

"Of course, your distrust is not without merit, Commander, I will not resist."

"Good, it would be a shame if I had to resort to harsher interrogation in your current state. Fredericks, Alenko, Craig, take Shiala to one of the Borealis's secure rooms; make sure she's tended to."

The marines escorted Saren's former commando from the foundations while Samus holstered her HMW disquietly. For a moment she had expected the Asari to attack her, believing that she was some alien threat a thousand times worse than the Thorian. The Chozo warrior had also considered silencing her then and there, but those were the actions of a despot, not a judgmental protector, besides; if she told anyone what she had seen of her surface memories, who would believe her?

* * *

><p>For over a week, the crew laboured to help the colonists rebuild. Reconstructing pre-fabricated housing, getting the water and power supplies up and running; Samus contacted some of her agents to make food drops and other bare necessities; much to Fai Dan's gratitude, all of them trying to salvage the people's lives in the face of Exo-geni pulling every last ounce of their support, not that it was sorely missed. Only the remnants of the science team, Shiala and Jeong were left, kept under perpetual house arrest.<p>

Without mechanical aide, the marines and the colonists managed to restore some semblance of order throughout the shelled encampment. Tali and Garrus saw to repairs for the electrical sub-station while Wrex led a hunting party after escaped Varren test subjects for a readily available source of provisions.

Samus was in the middle of helping a group of men raise a new beam scaffold when Ashley informed her that Shiala was asking for her. After helping to shift the burden of the rope onto Jamie, she dusted off her hands and accompanied Williams to the Borealis, itself under a plethora of repairs.

Everyone was wearing civvies after the battle for Zhu's Hope; Samus herself wore a ballistic jacket with rolled up sleeves and an Alliance-branded white muscle shirt. Complete with olive cargo pants that came down to the ankles of her steel-toe capped riot boots.

The captive Asari had been given a fresh set of commando leathers and been confined to quarters next to Jeong. Four marines snapped off salutes as the Gunnery Chief and their Commanding Officer entered the corridor.

Samus was left alone with Shiala, who was sitting on her camp bed against the wall, the Asari, looking much healthier after being treated by Dr. Chakwas; greeted her cordially.

"Good morning, Commander Shepard. I hope the Cipher is not too overbearing on your memory."

"I have perfect recall Shiala; the visions get clearer every day. What little Prothean literature, religious text, calculus the Galaxy has recovered – I can comprehend all of them on a subconscious level."

"Then we may still have a chance, Saren does not possess your unique faculties, I believe Sovereign was somehow involved in helping him understand the beacons."

"The ship? What is it Shiala? Prothean? A Reaper vessel?"

"We never knew, Saren was the only one in contact with Sovereign's main computer, he could commune with it biotically, yes, before you ask, he gained Reaper eezo amplifiers from it as well."

"Damn it, that must be where he's getting all his Intel on the Prothean sites, on top of that he's also a biotic, but why would the Reapers leave one of their dreadnoughts behind..."

"Who can know? But this much is certain, it's main weapons are devastating, it's defences virtually impregnable. Sovereign is more than a match for any of the Council fleets."

"Maybe, maybe not," Samus replied grimly, her eyes twinkling. Shiala seemed uncomfortable and shifted slightly at the huntress's expression. "Come now, meeting two unique life-forms within a month doesn't happen to everyone now, does it? Don't tell me you're _afraid_?"

Shiala swallowed, unable to meet Aran's eye.

"Of course I am. Saren is powerful, charismatic and he is dangerous. But if what I witnessed is any indication. You are the deadliest killer alive, a super soldier from beyond our Galaxy, why, by Athame would I trust you?"

Samus thudded her right fist into the hull wall to the left side of Shiala's face, crunching the heavy-duty metal inwards by three inches and causing the woman to flinch in shock and panic as the tall blonde got up close and personal.

"Because," she growled throatily, "I'm the only one who can stop him. The _only_ one, and my alien origins are the least of our problems when Saren is trying to become the scourge of all life on this _one,_ isolated, little Galaxy, do you _understand_?"

The former commando nodded meekly, Samus flexed her hand and the metal popped back into place as if it were aluminum foil. "I'll give you an overview of my life if it would alleviate your misgivings; it's only a matter of time before my crew discovers the truth...and the Citadel Council will receive this revelation from me personally." She was pacing back and forth, evaluating the decision. "When that happens, I have to be indispensable to them, otherwise, Spectre or no, war hero or no, they will perceive me as a menace to all society. It's why I've remained hidden for nearly ten years."

"And how would you convince them? The situation is frankly, mind-boggling," Shiala shook her head in wonderment.

"Three of my allies already knew, they have a lot of political pull, but one of them is dead, and if words don't work, then_ actions_ and _experience_ will speak for themselves. Let me show you."

The huntress offered her a hand, which Shiala took hesitantly. It had begun to plummet it down in heavy sheets of precipitation as Aran conducted her from the make-shift building and up to the ruined staircase of the tower; the roof was wide open from the Geth attack, the sky lit with the midnight silver sheen of Feros's twin moons.

The Asari observed Samus as she sat at the precipice, allowing the rain to pour over her without a care, she gestured for her to sit with her; she did, under an overhang, then the blue-skinned commando spoke tentatively.

"The things I saw during the mind meld, they can't be possible; it must have been stress, from my imprisonment within the Thorian," rationalized Shiala fervently. "It's impossible – impossible."

"No, not impossible Shiala, just improbable," she stood slowly and stepped closer, towering over the Asari, who visibly quailed as power seemed to radiate from the being overshadowing her.

"I've - _seen_ things _you people_ wouldn't believe..._Huh_." Began Aran, a faraway expression colouring her now exhausted countenance and posture. Windows to the soul piercing through her subject, her hair slick against her brow as the downpour battered her immoveable form. "Attack ships _on_ _fire_ off the _shoulder of Norion_, I watched C-beams _glitter_ in the dark of the _Aetherian Gate_, I've battled through the _black worlds_ of the Faluksh _star chain_, walked through the _temporal rifts_ between our world and the next. _All_ those – _moments_, will be lost, _in time_. Like tears, in rain."

The Asari watched aghast as the woman slumped down again, bowed and weeping silently. She was at a loss for what to say at this disclosure when Samus's head snapped up, startling her. "But it's _not_ my time to _die_." Declared Aran forcefully, "You have to help me Shiala; every piece of this puzzle has to be solved, and it starts with determining Saren's motivations."

"I will – try, but what of your origins? You trust _me_, a relative stranger with such information?"

Samus laughed to herself in a quiet manner. "What do you truly know of me?" She raised an eyebrow merrily. "That I'm a foreigner to this Galaxy? Apart from that...You don't know anything about me; nothing, _at all_."

"I suppose you're right Commander, Goddess. Saren needed the Reaper amplifiers just to be able to absorb the beacon messages in the first place. How can you take on these memories and the Cipher without so much as flinching?"

"Oh no...No, the nightmares do get to me sometimes, I've only witnessed this kind of genocide once before but that was a_ long_ way away, and this, this is within an arm's reach...Despite my genetic enrichment, I was blessed with numerous natural talents upon my birth, an eidetic memory, an aptitude for exploration, hunt mastery, and a capacity as a sapper, tracker and professional assassin. It's why my foster parents trained me so formidably, I wanted it – and they saw a need."

Shiala looked to be suffering a severe headache: "No more, thank you Commander for sparing my life. I will help you in your hunt for Saren; the taint of my own indoctrination was completely removed by the Thorian's presence. If you allow it, I would like to remain here though; to help the colonists rebuild. I wish to make amends and I played a great role in their suffering."

"Granted," the two women got to their feet, "they'll need all the help they can get, the colonists will be glad to have you on their side. But if there is ever a day you wish to join my forces, contact me."

"I will, thank you, Samus Aran. May fortune smile upon you."

* * *

><p>Over the second week, the Normandy crew began to pack up for a five day patrol through the Verge, the Commander wanted to go off the beaten path before returning to the Citadel. But first, there was the matter of Jeong and Exo-geni's links to Cerberus, Samus knew that terrorist cells were a vastly different animal from a singular military installation; it would take some time to dismantle or subvert Hades Dog; and there was no time like the present.<p>

Garrus and his Commander were in the process of interrogating Ethan Jeong; Samus was leaning against the wall on one foot, the other braced against the surface while Vakarian, her student, grilled the Exo-geni rep on their holdings and where they had sent the Thorian tissue samples.

"Look Jeong, give us the system location at least and I can grant you some immunity from your old employers," drawled Garrus idly, sharpening his talons with a file, his feet propped up on the table. Jeong had an ugly look plastered on his face, which was transitioning between a mottled shade of puce and magenta, due to his blood pressure rising and falling a mile a minute.

"Will this be like the _deal _your Commander made with Yanos? Him and his men were butchered to the last!" Jeong had been ranting for most of the session but as he was a true coward, the duo felt physical torture was beneath even him.

"The _good_ Lieutenant Yanos would have died anyway," Garrus reminded him, "they had tank support and they still walked into a trap. But enough about that. Since I'm filling in for Commander Shepard here, a Spectre of the Council, I have the supra legal authority to extradite you to the Turian penal colonies on Maitrum if you're unwilling to cooperate."

Jeong went pale, now taking on the hue of raspberry-ripple ice cream.

Samus inputted a suggestion mildly. "Or we could reserve a private cell for you on Gellix, Spectres have _privileged_ access to the remaining, _classified_ installations..."

"Okay! okay!" Jeong was frantic now, "I'm game, if you promise me protection from imprisonment, I'll confirm for you where we shipped the material."

"Go on..." Ventured the Turian sharp-shooter.

"It was the Vostok system, in the Maroon Sea Cluster, our backers in the scientific community were also gifted some of the samples."

"Bullshit, we know it was Cerberus, Jeong." Samus supported Garrus's grilling, "they have people within Exo-geni, Heyuan Genomics, hell, even New Dawn Pharmaceuticals. I'll have your full disclosure on Cerberus and Saren's operations, yes, Shiala told me about that. It seems there's no love lost between those two traitors to the social order, which leads me to believe that the Illusive Man and Arterius may have some past history..."

Jeong was sweating profusely now as the two soldiers left him in his cell, Samus speedily typed up a ream of Chozo steganographic coding in her omni tool, sending the Intel to Adam for processing and propagation to her agents in the Council and Terminus Systems. That would gain the Shadow Broker's attention and the notice of Cerberus Operatives in the biological research cells, when they reacted, she would be there to strike.

"Cerberus, Shepard?" Queried Garrus in confusion as the pair walked down the Borealis's main corridor. He had never heard of the terrorist group.

"A 'Pro-Human' black-ops organization, similar in vein to the Turian Union Separatists, except they're small enough to remain unnoticed and large enough to cause major difficulties in _all_ walks of civilized life, not just politics. They were responsible for the assassinations of Terra Firma front-runner Claude Mennau in 73' and Hierarchy Hawk Raherix Ursivus just last year, to name a few of their _misdemeanors_."

Garrus's eyes widened owlishly, "but they were both killed due to ship failure, faulty engineering - Oh..." He realised suddenly, "their vessels were never recovered right?" Aran nodded an affirmative, "so no-one even had any evidence of foul play, Ursivus's ship, the MSV Anixara, it broke up in FTL flight and Mennau's ship; it could have been processed down on a garbage world or left to drift into a sun."

"Ever the detective, these people have the capability to be even more dangerous than Saren's forces, they have a certain,_ subtle cunning_ which Arterius clearly lacks."

"I'd be more scared of his bluntness, he has that army of Geth and Krogan for one thing; and he always seems one step ahead of us," complained Garrus in a sullen tone, slamming his knuckles into his palm in pure hatred for the traitor.

"He's good I'll give him that." Conceded Samus firmly. "But I'm better."

* * *

><p>The Normandy SR-1 soared through space, indomitable and undetectable as the sleek vessel passed through the orange nebula of the Voyager Cluster. On board, most of the alien squad was assembled around the CIC consoles.<p>

Liara T'Soni had many thoughts racing around inside her head as she busied herself cataloguing and attempting to transcribe their modest collection of recovered Prothean data discs. Her Commander was not fully Human, she knew it in her bones. She had no proof, yet, but she was very certain that Aran was hiding much from the crew, what that could be and to what extent, she could not say.

Within twenty minutes of protracted work, the young Maiden made a breakthrough in the translation software and order of the alien data, remembering Shepard's skills as a multilingual she snatched up the files and excitedly rushed to the Spectre's office on the middle deck to ask for her help; her suspicions forgotten for now.

The door was not sealed with a red hologram but Liara knocked anyway.

"Enter," came the reply, Liara did so for the first - and not the last time. She was not surprised at the more expansive dimensions of Shepard's quarters, that was her right as Captain. What did take her aback was the air of organized chaos, for lack of a better word that the room lay in. Data tomes and electrical gizmos were strewn across work surfaces, comprised of firearm upgrade mods, armour components and what seemed to be a concealed (and highly illegal) ballistic blade, wrist mount laying and looking lethal from its place on the cluttered work bench.

The floor was clear of paraphernalia though, in fact the whole room was spick and span, not a trace of dust on anything; from the set of mass effect field increasing weights, the many engineering and computing tools, to the rack of HMW weapons and assorted monomolecular combat knives of various shapes and sizes arranged perfectly in the open grates of their black steel weapons closet.

Samus had been busy typing away at a collection of four blue holo screens, each alight with confidential information, the whisper whirring of two super computers beneath the desk was the only sound apart from the rapid touch of a solid state keyboard. Aran turned to greet her resident archaeologist, noticing the Asari taking in the room, her eyes falling upon the impressive collection of real, leather-bound books that took up the right bulkhead next to the double bed; her wardrobe was on the left hand side.

"Dr. T'Soni, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Liara flushed, luckily it was unnoticeable in the low, cobalt neon lighting.

"Commander, I needed to see you about the Prothean Intel we've been collecting, you tasked me with writing the software and filing any discrepancies away." She joined her at the centre of the office, Aran nodded and got up from her swivel chair; turning on another console which sat atop a large central desk to allow Liara to show her the data. The Asari swept the reassembled hieroglyphics onto the see-through touch screen and began to point out what she was reasonably sure to be one hundred percent correct through corresponding historical texts.

"The beacons were a kind of instantaneous messaging system, similar to quantum entanglement communicators," she explained while Samus scanned the ancient letters intently. "They used rarefied green element zero to create these matrices' - we had real samples of it in the University of Serrice, in the archives. But as far as we know, only the Protheans were capable of actually imprinting any data onto these 'echo shards' as the Protheans called them."

"Wait," Samus had a moment of clairvoyance. "I've heard of these, in the visions, its how the distress call was sent out across the colonies of the Prothean Empire, all satellite receivers must have been cut by the Reapers. If that's so...The beacons were a method of communication they never saw coming, they'd act to eliminate it from the next cycle. Look," she pointed to a line of code that was barely decipherable, the letters worn and faded, there was a flash of orange light before her minds eye and the letters appeared clear as day to the Warrior of Light. "Beacons were reserved for high-ranking Overlords in the Empire, it seems that the Protheans were actually imperialist bastards. Not Aristotelian philosophers." She finished with a bark of laughter at the irony, if not for the Reapers, odds were the younger races of yesterday would have been the slave races of today. Liara seemed discomforted at the very thought, but a fresh concern caused her to put it aside.

"How...? Shepard this is a newly discovered dialect, how can you possibly understand it when it hasn't been freshly translated to - Ah, of course, the Cipher."

"The Cipher," nodded Samus, "its allowed me unprecedented knowledge of the Protheans language, their culture, how they lived and died, I could write a book about it." She harrumphed so hard that her shoulders shrugged as she poured herself a tall glass of elderflower juice. "Sparatus and Tevos wanted me to come back to the Citadel and have their ministry of science run a battery of tests on my brain when I told them about it. Can you believe Valern, the Salarian, of all people, actually shot them down on the matter. Drink?"

"Yes, thank you, but he _was_ interested in the benefits the Thorian could provide though." Liara reminded her as she accepted the cup of sparkling liquid.

"Not on my watch, I had the men burn any trace materials away and some friends of mine in the shadow community disposed of the rest. Now we have a lead on Cerberus's dealings with the Feros colony, day after tomorrow we head to Nodacrux, then it'll be back to the Citadel while we await word from Noveria." The two women sat and enjoyed their beverages.

"Why Noveria?" Asked Liara carefully, holding her drink in both hands with an air of casualness, the body language was not lost on Samus as she sat back and relaxed.

"The CEO of Synthetic Insight's Hot Lab R&D branch is an old friend, he's been keeping an ear to the ground for me about Matriarch Benezia's whereabouts, apparently she's Arterius's official business executor regarding Binary Helix, a significant company in the robotic and biological departments."

"Mother...If what Shiala said was true, she follows Saren without question," whispered Liara disconsolately. Samus put down her drink and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get her back, Liara. Wrex told me that months ago, Saren contracted him and a posse of mercs to attack a Volus cargo freighter, Binary Helix was the informant, so whatever that ship's logs led them to, for Wrex said there wasn't any cargo on board worth stealing, Benezia will lead us to it when the time comes. And _when_ that time comes I hope your mother listens to reason, otherwise you'll have to make a choice. Who would you shoot? Me? Or her?"

"Please, let us not speak of this for now." Implored the young Asari.

"Alright," Samus conceded, cursing her own insensitivity and lack of tact.

" Commander, I - I was, hoping to pick up from where we left off," Liara said nervously after a few moments silence, Samus gave her a blank look. "Your made-up language, it shames me to admit it but I'm no polyglot, your examples could prove invaluable to my own work." Aran slapped a hand to her forehead as if in sudden realisation.

"Oh, yes! Silly me, now where did I put it?" She played around with her as she got up to search for the journal. If people knew you had perfect recall they tended to be more careful around you, therefore, Samus put on the facade of the customarily imperfect memory of Humans and most other species, save the Drell.

"How can the Mess Sergeant stand to come in here and clean this place when its such an awful tip," teased Liara while Samus investigated her bedside table.

"Hey! Caroline has never complained about the state I keep my cabin, what's more..." She pulled her journal from her Officer's jacket as she turned to face her guest, "found it!"

For two solid hours Samus let Liara peruse a section of the Chozo artifact, T'Soni didn't notice the complex mechanical spine of the book, engraved with vine patterns, which could retract pages at will and store them in pure antimatter particles; considering that Samus had written in it every day of her life, there was well over a million pages.

The page Liara was on had the heading of the year: **3784 GSD / 2784 MXC**, one of the differing solar cycles when she had been embroiled in a savage solar conflict against the four-armed Esulavars on the edge of the Berenices Super Galaxy. Samus observed the beautiful Asari while she worked, tinkering with her omni tool's adaptive blade fabrication. Noticing the graceful curve of her back as she leaned over the book, or the way she unconsciously tucked her arms under her breasts, pronouncing them through her rubber shirt.

Unknown to her, Liara was stealing some admiring glances too. And it wasn't because of Samus's connection to the Protheans! Finally, Liara finished the necessary modifications to the programme and handed her Commander the collection of translated writings; all in chronological order. Samus flicked through them for a few seconds, then beamed at her.

"Has anyone ever told you you're far better suited to filtering more sensitive information if you can compile contradicting sources _from the past, _into a cohesive whole?" Liara scuffed her foot against the floor demurely, a coy smile on her purple dropped lips.

"No, I think I would lack the crucial, _initiative_, in the information trade," she stalled, eyes averted bashfully. Samus sighed kindly and raised her chin with a light touch of her forefinger. Their similar yet vastly different pools of aqueous blue met closely for the first time.

"I think you would be brilliant," Samus stated without deception.

"Really?" Gasped Liara.

"Really really," she drew her a bit closer, tasting her balmy breath, as she had expected, the Maiden lost her nerve and balked out of inexperience, well, she'd have to work on that. Liara quickly regained her composure, beginning to ask questions on the mind meld, Samus had held it off for too long, despite her knowledge of the Protheans, she could not compete with Liara's eighty plus years of study in this particular field. With sudden resolution, the huntress realised she could no longer hide from those closest to her, how could she expect to be fully trusted if they didn't trust _her_ implicitly - and fiercely.

"Very well, if you think it can help. Let's do it."

"Try to relax Commander, embrace eter - "

_"Commander! We've got a situation!"_ Interrupted Jeff over her personal radio, Samus and Liara broke apart, disappointed.

"What is it Joker?"

_"Admiral Hackett's on the line, something about an abandoned Espionage Probe?"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Left you hanging! Next time, Elanos Haliat's final card...Oh, and I have backed up the story in its entirety for security's sake. Thank you everyone who asked or thought about it for your concern, now. Press that blue button please and give me some nourishing feedback! And before anyone asks, yes, I made Samus paraphrase Roy's dying soliloquy from _Blade Runner_. Bad-ass.  
><strong>


	23. Imperative Intervention

**A/N: Yay! All my A2 exams are finished! Along with an aced English Lit. exam _and_, _all_ of secondary education! Now I have fifteen months off before I hopefully get to go to University. Woo-Hoo! You know what that means! More time for me to write! Speaking of... It's time for another MEGA ACTION CHAPTER! And a double dealing of healthy quotations! _  
><em>**

_"When we say that trust is an emotional skill, this implies that emotional competence is a necessary part of trust."_

_(Robert C. Soloman)_

_"Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events not of words. Trust movement."_

_(Alfred Adler)  
><em>

**Imperative Intervention **

The Comm. Room was oppressively silent as Samus walked down the short corridor between the CIC and the holographic relay terminal. She smartened up her casually worn officer's jacket over her customary black ballistic vest as she neared the console, ever aware of proper procedure despite her being above the chain of command.

Somewhat presentable, she keyed in the Fifth Fleet's transponder code for the quantum entanglement device linked to the Human embassy on the Citadel. This beamed the responding transmission signal straight across the high priority channel burst to Arcturus, causing a three-dimensional image of Admiral Steven Hackett to frazzle into existence. At the same time, cameras scanned Aran into a transmitted holo image on his own flight deck, a perfect one-on-one conversation and all at nearly ten thousand light years away.

Hackett looked rather under the weather, the result of dealing with the Geth incursions no doubt; but he put on a brave face as he notified his favourite soldier of the latest threat.

"Commander Shepard, something uncomfortable has just come up," he began dozily. Samus stood with her arms at her sides, listening raptly. Hackett continued after leaving the dire statement alone to speak for itself. "In the First Contact War we fired a lot of espionage probes into Turian Space. We just received a mission complete burst from one of them.

Aran placed her hands on her hips and swiveled pensively, all kinds of dangerous implications flitting through her mind, she turned back to face her friend and long time ally. "Where's it been in the meantime? I was never given disclosure on this operation..."

"I know, clearance level red as far back as 57', the Brass only trusts _you_ to undertake this mission personally. And we have no idea where the probe has been – it must have been lost in transit. These things were built in a hurry after first contact."

A shrewd and impossibly wise political operator, Samus knew the value of undertaking Alliance objectives free from Council oversight. Officially she could tell them to screw off but it was always best to be owed a few favours from both sides. Even so, she'd be cursed if she took her team into such a risky situation blind, Steven seemed to be withholding a critical fact that the huntress was quick to pounce on.

"What makes this, _uncomfortable_?"

Hackett pursed his wrinkled lips, in the grip of some unidentifiable emotion, then he spoke plainly and without reserve: "When these probes were launched we didn't have any idea who we were fighting, we didn't want to risk aliens examining our technology. So the probe has a demo nuke built-in, a twenty kiloton tactical fusion warhead. About equal to the first atomic bombs dropped on Japan back in the 20th Century. If someone finds that probe – tampers with it; you don't need me to finish Commander."

The first Human Spectre and last of the Chozo Warriors did not seem overly perturbed at the scale of the defusual operation, in fact her eyes lit up at the prospect of a mechanical challenge. "We should be able to handle it sir, I'll get my best people on it."

Steven almost smiled grandfatherly, eyes twinkling: "I know, and I wouldn't ask if you weren't up to the task or if it didn't merit your attention. These probes have been classified for twenty six years. We both know the Council would call fusion bomb booby-traps 'dangerous and irresponsible.' The Alliance would face censure if they found it before us and the Normandy can get on site quickly and quietly before such a worst case-scenario can play out."

"So where's it located?"

"The sector you're actively patrolling, the Voyager Cluster, more directly, the Amazon System."

"It's in the Voyager Cluster? That's the opposite side of the Alliance from Turian Space, how could it have got there?"

Hackett was obviously worried as he shook his snowy head slowly. "I don't know...It's possible someone recovered it safely and brought it there. But, it could have also been wondering the relay network since the war. Either way, it can't remain there out of our safe hands."

"I agree, we'll get on it immediately Admiral. And we'll be discreet."

"I appreciate that, Commander. Good luck, Fifth Fleet out."

* * *

><p>Agebinium, a cold, desolate world wracked by radiation storms and a thin atmosphere of unbreathable carbon dioxide and krypton. The Red Giant Star, Amazon, dominated the sky, barren plains of tin deposit and other worthless metals were bathed in the sickly light, giving the planet a hellish feel.<p>

A silver, blue-fire dart flitted across the horizon, from beneath its hull a hefty rover tank fell away. It's descent slowed by upgraded helium-3 chemical rockets until it made planet-side with a rumble of six tyre-treads and rolled to a halt.

Within, was the entire alien crew compliment of the Normandy, along with Lieutenant Alenko, Chief Williams and Commander Shepard. All were lightly armed, befitting a survey and retrieval mission. The marines with rifles, Garrus with his U-44 Volkov, Wrex with his Savage, Tali with her Avalanche and Liara and Samus with sidearms at their belts.

The drive was not the height of excitement, no Geth ambush lures or raiders trying to hide stolen loot, not even any mummified remains or partially buried artifacts were picked up by the pathfinder VI.

But the trip to the Alliance homing signal was not to be completely uneventful. As the team descended into a deep gully, there was a warning, left out in the open to deter trespassers. Samus, Tali, Garrus and Liara piled out to take a cautious look at the discovery. It was the ominous wreck of a downed contra gravity speeder; with a single preserved occupant still in the driver's seat.

Samus brushed some of the carbonization dust away from the side door, revealing the Nezo brand name. An Elysian shuttle and air car production company, it was a long way from home. The solar winds ripped across the desolate landscape as Samus knelt by the car, a solid black and red form of heavily modified top-weight class Onyx armour, immoveable against the harsh elements, her distinctive, gold light grinning, sealed helmet observing every detail of the intimidatory signpost.

"Judging by the charring," she informed her allies conversationally, "this wreckage has been here since Amazon's last variable peak, some kind of marker informing us of an outpost perhaps?"

"You mean there might be an enemy presence in the vicinity?" Asked Tali with quick-fire military precision, she was learning her lessons well.

"Possibly, they could have moved on as of the last planetary cycle, yet..."

"Commander, look at the body," Liara notified her urgently, Garrus was making sweeps through his scope to make sure there weren't sentries on the mountain-tops. Samus investigated the corpse and was taken aback by its odd appearance. "He was wearing an expensive suit, and what appears to be – antique aviator goggles, heavily melted from the engine's combustion."

Liara's sharp eye brought several more concerns to bear for the N7 Operative, the man, (who was of more than modest means.) Had been attacked by weapons fire or left deliberately to burn and rot as an example, a third-party was at work here, trying to draw them in, and they'd been waiting for a long time...But they had no choice; they had to go on.

Within ten minutes, their drive ended at a cluttered mining site at the foot of another mountain peak, the descending tube was fully open to the elements. Commander and squad clambered out of their seats, ever-alert

"Mine-shaft," announced Ashley with an incredulous note, "that's the source of the signal."

"Suspicious..." Garrus trailed off, his danger senses likewise on overdrive.

"Yeah, this probe didn't crash," continued Ashley, "someone moved it here."

Samus snorted condescendingly. "Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring, Chief. There's still a nuclear weapon down there, we can't abandon it; check your corners and watch your back."

"Alright Shepard," Kaidan spoke-up for the whole team, who all armed themselves and attached flashlights to their respective firearms. Aran went without, relying on her natural night-vision to see through the dusty depths of the circular tunnel; only her Paralyzer pistol, angled downwards in a right side, two-handed grip preceding her.

There was not a drop of moisture in the air, just a dread chill that cut through even the insulated hard-suits of the Normandy crew. Though strong enough for exploration in vacuum. It wasn't the literal cold that reached minus seventy two centigrade that was getting to them, but the threat of impending danger and the fact that they were walking – willingly into it.

Powerful halogen torches cut through the dark caverns as the mis-matched family of soldiers treaded carefully underground, ignoring branching passages in favour of the most direct route to the nuke's homing beacon. As they reached a high-roofed cave about ten hundred metres below, Samus noticed bands of deliberately constructed heavy metal beams criss-crossing the walls and ceiling, she recognised another sheen to the interior decoration, the dull, shiny surface... of _lead_.

She signaled them to halt. "Its a trap. Everyone back to the central chamber, I'll deal with the – "

'_KA-BOOM..._' A sound of low thunder echoed down and throughout what could soon be their catacombs, tonnes of rock and aluminum crashed down to cave in and block their retreat. Bringing up a cloud of silicate dust that caused everyone to choke until filters were engaged and they reached the far side of the cavern, where the roof would be more stable from further collapse.

Wrex hacked his big lungs free of the clinging particles: "That was a detonator Commander, seismic charge. _Someone_, just screwed us."

At that moment, the _someone,_ in question appeared as a fuzzy holo image atop their objective, the nuclear tapped probe which had been prised open and connected to other pieces of machinery, including a countdown timer, two cameras and the cobbled together holographic plate. The image was in the shape of a man.

He was bulky and imposing, wearing a tattered set of Titan medium armour that had obviously seen better days. But it was his face that drew the most attention, it was frankly disgusting. A raw pink that changed texture and consistency without any regard for natural selection, the result of some hideous disfigurement with oil, acid, or flame.

The skull was knobbly, bone jutting out from two patches on his forehead and a travesty of a thick-bridged, Neanderthal nose, where it seemed that several sessions of botched plastic surgery had been applied. Skin-grafts and facial reconstruction didn't stop at his cheeks, a set of rubbery, puffed up lips were evidently not his own either.

What was most telling was the bristly brown fur that covered his head, cranial ridges having been similarly 'removed,' the vile fur came down to his neck and around and under his chin; where it had been poorly shaved. He was a Batarian. But with only one set of the baleful black eyes and grey sclera typical to his species, they still could incite fear in the weak and leaderless, but Elanos Haliat now looked more Human than Batarian, thanks to a failed colonial raid in 2176 and the brutal ministrations of Samus Aran upon his visage.

"Shepard – at _last_." He hissed with ill-concealed menace, nearly eight years he'd waited to exact his vengeance. Samus stared hard at him past her darkened visor, the inklings of recognition beginning to awaken. She was more concerned about the upper and lower tunnels that had been proved to exist within the mountain, that explosive must have been wired through the rock and been triggered by a long distance plunger to stop her omni tools disruption programme from affecting it. Then there was the fact that the washed-up pirate leader was not wearing a helmet, leading her to conclude that he had a sealed bunker or other type of facility on the mountain top; shielded from orbital scans, because the Normandy had not been aware of it's location.

"You have me at a disadvantage," she responded icily, noticing that the components of the nuclear payload were starting to warm up their ignition protocols.

"You – don't remember me?" His giggle was demented and full of sinister poison, "no matter, I remember you. I never forget anyone I've fought." For that matter neither did the Metroid / Chozo / Human hybrid, his true name was Egan Had'dah, the younger brother of the man who had first located the Leviathan of Dis in the early 2160's, the ship that was now known to the Council's classified military circles as 'Sovereign.' Egan had led the Skyllian Blitz that Samus had defeated almost single-handedly. After nearly twenty hours of protracted fighting, Aran had been wounded by the man who was often known as Elanos Haliat by his fellow pirate lords - and she had re-paid him in-kind, evolving her biotic and Metroid abilities had been the only positive thing to come out of that day of bloodshed and slaughter.

"My name is Elanos Haliat, I doubt you'd know it." It was the fourth named individual Samus had learned of first-hand. The other three being Gatatog Darzul, deceased. Zavek Plutus, deceased and Aria T'Loak, soon to be deceased if the Council ever targeted her for termination, then their first Human Spectre would be only too glad to oblige, remembering the wounds she had incurred for daring to fuck with the Pirate Queen.

"Who do you think runs the Terminus clans, Shepard, huh?" His voice was a grating, horrid sound, a flanging, slime-ridden sputter due to his ceramic dentures and over-sized lips. "Thousands of pirates, slavers? Criminals of every stripe?" Samus knew well that an 'acclaimed leader' always called the shots, the biggest bully in the playground but she was not going to be strung along on Haliat's little power trip, she was too busy working out how to remove the payload safely from the probe.

"You assume I give a damn, that's cute," she mocked him openly, drawing a sycophantic snicker from Garrus.

"The _strongest_ leads." Spat Haliat with unmistakeable venom."The one who kills the most men. Seizes the most ships, pillages the most colonies. Seven years ago I was the strongest, I used my influence to assemble a fleet, we would drive your kind out of the Verge!"

"Look, _Had'dah_, I know you've been rehearsing this for quite a long time. But I was already aware you organized the attack on Elysium. I'm a Council Spectre, you're an STD-ridden asshole. Do you want me to thank you for my Star of Terra?"

But Haliat seemed to be gripped in the palsy of his own cleverness, swept up in his own moment of triumph and loss that he had been experiencing and recounting to himself every day since his fall from grace. "I was the motivator, the instigator. The one who promised glory and riches – for sacking the largest Human colony in the Cluster! The one blamed when it failed. FAILED! FAILED BECAUSE OF YOU! YOUR DAMNABLE HOLDING ACTION!"

The crew looked at their Commander in shock, they'd never considered that this history would come back to haunt their leader. Elanos was ranting and raving, screaming obscenities before Samus blasted the console with an overload pulse and shorted the connection out. Upon doing so, the timer on the nuke lit up:

00 : 00 : 09 : 99.

"Don't panic. Tali, Kaidan, hard-points at both ends, go!" Three beats after her order – the ten second countdown began. Ashley, Garrus, Liara and Wrex could only stand there paralyzed with the prospect of instant vapourisation once the reaction of uranium–235 occurred. The Krogan Battlemaster especially, there was particular irony for him in going out like this; his kind had been subjected to a nuclear winter by their own hands and he had no wish to see what would happen when a new sun brightened this cavern.

Within four seconds, the three technicians had cut to the heart of the trigger mechanism, fortunately, all three of them had doctorates in nuclear physics and engineering. Samus worked at blinding speed, her heart rate never elevated regardless of the tremendous danger, sparks and wires flying as she tackled the piece of tech like any other enemy; pin-pointing its weak spots, and utilising them to full effect.

4 : 87, the payload was disengaged, which meant the twin set of triggers could now be removed from the system without fear of detonation. Tali's was flung into the dirt as she cast the bolted machinery aside but Kaidan was trying to pull his loose still after cutting all the right cables. Samus leapt towards him, 2 : 21. She pushed him aside, 1 : 53, applied a liberal dose of omni gel which melted through the fused resin, 0 : 96, held the trigger firmly and yanked it free from its circuit board. The timer stopped at 0 : 02. There was around a five second pause to make sure that it wouldn't just blow up regardless, then.

"Yes! We did it!" Cheered Tali, jumping into Garrus's arms in sheer jubilation and causing him to drop his sniper rifle and backpedal as her legs wrapped around him, Wrex slapped Samus on the back heartily and gave a booming laugh even as Liara leant against her and gave her a world of sighs, Kaidan and Ashley clasped each others forearms 'warrior-style' then hugged also, all of them just glad to be alive. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

"Well done everyone, now we need to stay calm. We've got light, air and sustenance, and I think its time to radio Joker. Normandy, come in Normandy." But the signal was a mess of static, Aran could feel the beacon itching in her left palm's natural cybernetic pathways. it would be able to boost the signal past the layers and layers of disrupting alloys, but it wasn't the time to squander Adam's precious gift, there was always a way out – and the time would come when huntress and armour were re-united forever, never to be parted.

Haliat's holo image re-established itself. "Rargh! So you survived my little trap eh? No matter, in fact I prefer it this way, you'll die slow and agonising deaths down there, I'm sure you've realised by now that your suit radios are useless, not powerful enough to transmit out."

"You'll see me again Haliat," Samus warned him, emotionless, "count on it."

Elanos replied with a crazed smile, he was pissing himself such was his demented glee. "I rather doubt that. Those mining tunnels go on for miles, a labyrinth from which you'll never escape, we have your vehicle, I have an army, one that would be all too ready to mount your head on my shuttle as a hood ornament should you surface! What better way to regain my reputation than to present your helmet to the clans as my personal trophy, then – fling it on the Council's doorstep so they'd know that I, Elanos Haliat! Killed, the first - Human - Spectre!"

He cackled insanely as the feed bled out and died, Samus could hardly wait to complete the task she should have finished seven years ago.

"Orders Commander?" Said Kaidan, at a loss on what they had stumbled in on.

"First we dismantle and store the nuke for recovery, then we find our way out of here. That bastard needs a _fucking_ bullet in his head." The team was shocked at Aran's potent expletive, the fact that she hardly swore intensified the threat and spoke of the new heights of apocalyptic justice that she would rain down on Haliat.

Within five minutes Wrex was totting a lead-lined storage crate on his back, a yellow and red 'radiation' symbol standing out starkly from the silver and black chrome. Inside was the isotope, the triggers along with the detonation payload and enough intact circuitry that Aran was relatively confident of being able to assemble a small suit case bomb or something even more compact for the lost art of deploying nuclear ordinance.

The team stuck close together as they wound down the snaking passages, their map HUD's were also on the fritz thanks to the minerals above and below. Yet they were traveling back upwards thanks to Wrex's keen nose. Eventually they reached a Y-fork and debated which way to go.

"*Sniff, sniff,* to the left Commander," said Wrex, "I can pick up traces of fresh air, or what passes for it on this rock."

Samus inspected both tunnels, her own sharp senses discerning the tang of carbon dioxide wind to the left, it _seemed_ the safest choice. She drew upon a drop of the Chozo beacon's power, the mark on the back of her hand lit up beneath her ablative glove and her en-suite of detection systems within her helmet blazed a neon lime-green. Beneath the ceramic shell and beamed onto her retinas, was a shadow version of her advanced sonar visor, which booted up rapidly with a scroll of computer text and other complex scans.

A single ping of sound was all she needed from her nearly omniscient technical specs, the left path ended at a set of rugged rock stairs that descended into a bottomless crevasse from where the 'outside' air was billowing up. Releasing the miniscule amount of nano-crystular energy, she studied the right fork's surface, brushing the earth with the back of her hand gently.

It came away smooth and with grains of sand, a river had flown through this mountain, this was most likely the source, she regaled her companions with her tracker's skills and explained to Wrex why air currents didn't always mean a way out when exploring caves, she had spent enough of her childhood in the tunnels of Planet Zebes as much as on it's surface; after all.

"What's this? She's a pathfinder as well? A goddamn trailblazer!" Wrex laughed from the belly in sheer admiration. "Is there anything you _can't_ do Shepard?" Samus looked at the large alien appraisingly.

"Blot out extraneous conversation, I hear everything in a public place as if every stranger was telling me their life story. I find myself filtering through a heinous back-log sometimes. The conversations pile up!" In truth Samus could easily focus on more important things but it was almost like she had a self-updating logbook on trivial matters in her mind, there would be new concerns and side-quests for her to-do-list every time she had a mental review.

However, the day was about to go from bad, to worse. There were a series of reverberating explosions from several hundred metres above as they trod into a wider cavern, Haliat was dogging their steps and had laid more traps out of them. The ground beneath their feet rocked and shifted as if they were on a sailing stoop on the high seas.

"Double-time it people! Run!" Samus roared as the roof began to give way, boulders ten metres across thundering to the ground in a maelstrom of death, it was like Therum all over again; though minus the lava. An avalanche of stone crushed the ascending passage entrance as the squad reached it. Five got to safety in time.

The floor opened up, the floor pitched backwards as the entire cavern imploded - and swallowed both Aran and Alenko under a deluge of rubble.

"Commander! Lieutenant!" Screamed Ashley, fear overtaking her senses as Tali pulled her back from the mounting, precarious pile of rock that blocked their way back. "Oh God! They're dead!"

"Relax, Chief." Garrus helped manhandle her away from the impediment, a tone newly used but one that suited him coming to the forefront. The tone of command. "Their life-signs would have cut out on us if they were truly gone, we need to get to the surface. Those were her last orders to us."

Ashley nodded bleakly, from behind, Wrex did not seem unduly concerned, Shepard was his Warlord, what could a mud-slide do to her?

* * *

><p>Samus fell through the dark void, hearing Kaidan land on a darkened precipice nearby. She whooshed past, <em>"good, at least he's safe."<em> The fall to a most probable death didn't faze her in the slightest as one of the largest pieces of granite plummeted towards her. Aran performed several sky-dive back flips, increasing her drag until she could latch on to the massive boulder. She could sense every space between her, her life-line and the deadly walls speeding by, but she inched around to the side of the cascading rock regardless. Feeling the resistance of the air and the nearing cushion that would halt her descent, then with super-natural clarity that bordered on precognition; she let go.

Right as the boulder struck a diagonal incline, Samus spiraled off the surface and tucked her arms, head and legs in before she struck and rolled down the slope, glad that she didn't have any weapons on her back that could snag her progress or press into her spine. She tumbled to a halt in a curved ditch, even as chunks of masonry and the huge rolling boulder that had made up the cavern's roof crashed down on her. But she had judged it perfectly. The largest rock was wedged as it positioned itself over her body, blocking the final rain of heavy debris as everything calmed down save for the grinding of stone on stone.

The huntress readjusted her slow, steady breathing as the mass of the planet's crust settled, trapping her in a narrow tunnel that was a claustrophobe's worst nightmare. Not for her, she was used to small enclosed spaces, she hadn't become a world-class contortionist by the age of six for nothing!

Slowly, she extended her legs as far as they could go, the soles of her feet meeting with an early resistance as her knees brushed the side passage. One way out. The tunnel wasn't even high enough for her to travel on all fours. She wriggled expertly and won free from her awkward foetal position. But even the night vision of an owl that served her so well usually; was useless in pitch blackness. So she activated her helmets infra-red lenses and, after consulting the now black and white air toxicology report on her HUD, disengaged her helmet seals.

There was enough oxygen and warmth below ground for her crew and Elanos's men to do the same, though she was the only one on the planet who did not fear the palatable mix of CO2 and Krypton thanks to her conditioning in harsher atmospheres and resident Chozo DNA. With the hiss of an escaping nitrogen / oxygen mix - her N7 helmet's cranial tube casings retracted into their connected ports on her kinetic barrier pack and the grille of her lower face plate popped out marginally. Jets of steam shot out from under her visor strip and chin making her look like an angry bull while the sealant at her neck unfroze and separated, leaving the skin still covered.

Relying on her helmets in-built NV goggles, Samus started to commando crawl resolutely forward at a speed that would make any other soldier turn green with envy. All that mattered was getting out, one hand and foot in front of another, meet up with her friends and then deal out some retribution to that bastard who had suckered her twice. Her heart gladdened when she checked that all her comrade's biometrics were stable.

Momentarily, she reached a thin dead end, but one with an open space above. Samus finally stood again and clambered up to another wall of piled rubble. No other routes forward were available. Bracing herself, she reached out with a host of biotic vine feelers, searching for a structural weakness that she could undermine from the inside out.

When none presented themselves against the twenty five tonnes of aluminum / tin ore, she sighed resignedly. The hard way then. Biotics helped her to gain leverage against the gargantuan hindrance, allowing her to _feel_ the best direction to push away the burden of vastly varied stone, from small pebbles to torso-sized boulders; it was as if her hands had become tremendous invisible shovels that could encompass the obstruction. The lighter gravity than the typical Earth G's would make this easier, but it had been a while since she'd tested her strength so prodigiously.

She grunted as her balled shoulders rammed into the wall and her arms began to lift the colossal mass up and away. Every torn and re-mended muscle fiber, every titanium hard calcified bone, every tensile steel sinew. Concentrated in this - single act, of Herculean effort.

The stretchier under layers of her armour, situated at her quadriceps, crura, biceps and antebrachiums, nearly tore such was the pressure. Samus inhaled, gritted her teeth, then spat a single exhalation through the tightly drawn line of her fair lips as she heaved the monumental weight out and off with a drawn out scream of inner force.

It was a mythic sight as the metric tonne boulders fell back before her hammering power, allowing her to crest the dust-ridden cave-in, or rather, cave-out. Although she hadn't pulled anything, or strained any cartilage; it had sapped her vigour considerably, she'd need some time to recover her full measures of bodily and mental might.

She had walked gingerly for nearly three hundred metres when an amplified voice sounded out: _"Shepard! I can hear you're still alive down there, walk right into our little welcoming committee we've got lined up for you. Nice and easy - and don't try anything clever. Or your soldier boy get's his pretty face mutilated!" _Haliat, the sick fuck was on some kind of loudspeaker, prancing about, waiting for her to come along and be a sacrificial lamb in Kaidan's stead. He had only seen_ her_ on the probe's video cameras; so he likely wasn't bluffing. What with Kaidan being separated from her and the main group. How else could he know of the Lieutenant?

Realising that more overt measures had to be taken, Samus reached _inwards_, in a focused bout of meditation she dredged up the symbiotic particles of her zero suit straight from her central nervous system, just as she had on Omega all those years ago. The shape-shifting nano-plasm could change colour, texture, consistency, even become insubstantial; she wrapped herself in a shroud of black, creeping smoke that made her nigh invisible in the pitch darkness, like her military namesake, she appeared as a specter when she moved, intangible.

With a relatively small jump, (nine metres), she hooked onto the in-constant, bumpy surface of the ceiling and began to crawl, spider-man-esque, along the top of the passage and towards Haliat's ambush.

It was another open cavern, pirate mercs were sweeping the area with torch-lit assault rifles and pistols of varying quality as Samus crept upside down and above them, she counted fourteen, excluding Haliat and his kneeling prisoner. Samus decided to play up her theatrics to unsettle them more, there was too much light and activity for stealth take-downs, this would be an entertaining ruse, if she _survived._ Using the beacon minutely once more, Aran conjured a ghostly replica of her glowing green, V-shaped visor, when viewed from an angle it looked like the wings of an outstretched killer of the skies. It covered her N7 helm with a grim, alien mask as she reached the apex of the chamber, right in the centre of the roof.

"Where is she?" Complained Haliat to his motley crew of Batarians, Turians, Humans and a couple of Krogan. Alenko raised his puffed up and beaten face defiantly, even as Samus dropped stealthily into the middle of the room from the forty foot drop without a sound. Her head lowered dramatically.

"I'm not sure sir, perhaps she -"

"Peekaboo..." Aran's hushed undertone somehow carried around the chamber to every man, as if it had been spoken in their very ears, the results of her ventriloquism. Criminals, being a superstitious, cowardly lot, stumbled back in pure terror as the spectral figure of blackest nightshade 'appeared' among them from the shadows. It's luminous helmet slit, the only source of light proving that there was something there, the pirate's brandished torch beams were simply absorbed into the dark thread tendrils of smoking fear that emanated in waves.

A semi-circle of mercenaries faced the huntress, with Haliat standing right opposite about eleven metres away. His disfigured face twisted in a horrible, terrified grimace that was half smile, half scowl. But he plucked up what remained of his failing courage.

"Aran Shepard, quite the get-up. Didn't know you had a portable 'RealityPlus' video projector built-in to that armour, but you are an expert in all things technological aren't you?" Samus was not listening, instead using her senses to discern that there were twenty more mercs lurking behind Haliat near the cave exits. She'd have to grab the younger Had'dah brother as a hostage... "But enough of that. Throw your gun down, now. Or Elvis here, dies!" Haliat made a point of shoving his clunky M-12 Taurus Claw, (an archaic, snap-out cylinder .454 calibre mass accelerator five round shooter;) against Kaidan's forehead.

Without hesitation, Samus drew the Paralyzer pistol from her thigh holster with her left hand and tossed it at Elanos's feet. Where it was picked up and pocketed by a greedy Batarian retainer.

"Commander, no!" Shrieked Kaidan, tears of despair rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh, _shut up_!" Mimed Haliat in Alenko's East coast accent, kicking him in the jaw. The Lieutenant dropped like a lead weight, still conscious and blubbing. "Disgusting," spat the scarred, two-eyed Batarian as he clubbed the Alliance soldier over the head with his handgun, knocking him out.

"You shouldn't have done that," admonished Samus in a dread whisper, removing all her physical inhibitions, her knuckles cracked ominously.

But Haliat let out another hyena cackle: "Now that that's done with, it's time to restrain _you_ as well. On your _knees_." He commanded, fourteen pointed weapons emphasised the cost of refusal.

"_No_." Samus retorted blankly. Egan nodded to two of his men closest to the N7 Guardian, they inched forward from both sides of the crescent formation. One Turian with a pistol pointed at her head, the other, a Batarian, flexing a pair of submission cuffs. She remained still as a statue even when they came within two feet of her. The scuffle lasted a second. There was a flash of ochre, lime-tinged blades. And both men splashed prostrate into pools of their own blue and red blood.

The remaining twelve and Haliat himself recoiled at the unmoving Spectre, it seemed as if both men had simply 'dropped' dead of their own volition, guns were shaking now, grips sweaty - as the un-seeing face stared _through_ them all.

"Defiant to the end, eh?" Sneered Haliat, his thirst for vengeance overriding his common sense. Samus unfurled her arms in a gesture of indifference, as if saying: 'Come on. Here I am. Give it your best shot. It won't be good enough.'

"No you won't cry like him. You're not afraid of death, you're like _me_." Haliat stroked his ego foolishly. Aran spoke without a hint of humour or a trace of sarcasm.

"The only thing we have in common, Mr. Had'dah, is that neither of us are going to die in the next instance... But your men are."

Oh, she'd make them work for it, but she was nearly certain that even her defences wouldn't hold up against so many with so little room to maneuver.

Haliat scoffed at her threat: "How do you reckon you're going to do that then?"

"With my hands..." She rumbled listlessly.

Egan's joking attitude started to wane, but he wouldn't back down.

"... Bullshit. What are you gonna' do? We've scanned your armour, even got some ME excludors rigged up to deal with your biotics. you've got _nothing_. Nothing but your _bloody knives_ and your _fancy karate gimmicks._ We have _guns_!"

"No, what you have are _bullets._ And the _hope_ that when your guns are empty, I'm no longer standing. Because if _I am_, you'll all be dead before you've reloaded."

"That's _impossible_!" He spat, raising and cocking the hammer of his Claw pistol, his men following suit, aiming at the glowing target.

"Kill her."

He pulled the trigger and fired the first shot.

The entire room was lit with blue muzzle flashes and the odd, cobalt tracer round. A hurricane front of shaved metal crashing into Aran's shields and biotic barrier. It held. The shadow ghost leant and dodged on the spot as best she could, a sparkling blur of gravitonic star bursts and wisp trails of inky shadows.

Haliat's ilk used the first generation of thermal clips, similar to chambered magazines, each heat sink accounted for five bullets worth of recoil force before it was automatically ejected and the next was fed in. After the slide had dispensed of all its sinks, a new thermal clip had to be put in manually.

Both of her defences fell away under the barrage, the air undulated as the protective cocoon of energy was shattered. The Warrior of Light staggered back under the driving rain of bullets, most ricocheted off her armour, others embedded themselves in the charged plates, others still - ripped through all the fail safes and tore into flesh.

Puffs of pinot coloured gas and red splashed splotches sprang up over her battle-scarred cuirass and inflexible abdominal plackard as she was riddled with slugs. Forcing her to steady herself on one knee as the metal locusts swarmed. Every drop of her biotic willpower directing the stream of death away from her head and neck.

All around the same time, the pirate's guns beeped in unison and the storm passed. Smoke drifted from gun barrels and lithium heat sinks glowed like molten coals from the floor, where they had collected like the messy shell cartridges of old.

Her heart beat in her ears, roaring, thirty beats per minute while she knelt in her self-induced trance. She was not under the surface of a dying world, shot up by a madman and his cohort's. She was sitting on a picnic mat, a blue sky summer's day, in a cherry blossom orchard, her mother bouncing her on her lap. A single drop of water hit the nearby lake, sending ripples outward, ripples of lucidity...

Elanos smiled in self satisfaction as he saw the crimson soaked form, crumpled in defeat before him. No being in the Galaxy could have survived that. He lowered his weapon, his men letting out nervous laughs as they did likewise. Their joy turned to bile in their throats as the Spectre let out a long exhalation and rose up to stand proudly; unbowed, unbent, unbroken.

The pirates froze, no-one knew what to do, their adversary was either not made of flesh and blood, or had the pain tolerance of an oak tree. For Aran, time seemed to dilate, slowing down to a crawl, the 'squish suit' underlay of minute injectors applied small doses of the wonder drug. The bleeding stopped, her flesh creeped over the wounds, healing over the shrapnel still lodged in her - but a rare smile tugged the corners of her mouth in spite of it all. Pain - was _her_ experience.

"My turn."

Her right arm's omni tool lit up a blood orange, it was a blur of colour as the ballistic blade attachment flash forged two long throwing knives. They spun through the holo dial, their points clapped between her index, middle and ring finger in a 'V - shape.' Her forearm bent back, then snapped straight like a spring-action lever, sending the two freshly made, incandescent implements spinning, end over end for five fluid revolutions; to pierce the larynges of Haliat's two body guards. Who were standing right on either side of him.

The Batarians let out a muffled _'hugh!' A_s they were thrown back and off their feet, such was the power of Aran's throw, they skidded through the dirt, choking their death throes while Haliat turned and gaped in astonishment at the sight.

Samus dual-wielded a pair of double-edged, red-hot poniards in a double helix pattern; with the finesse of a master sword juggler. And got to work, a six metre gap to her right closed between her and her first victim instantaneously. The young man's face was a picture of shock and awe, he disengaged his pistol clip, even as two cuts send scarlet spurts five metres up to paint the walls. His body hit the floor before his clip had fallen half way.

There was a frenzy of panic to reload as three of their number had died within two seconds. Haliat tried to ignore the screams as he fumbled for the release catch and the phantom trails of red light came closer, only his men standing in her way.

A Turian merc fell, his jugular cut by the shade. A reverse stab just under the sternum spelt the end for another, the force of the strike folded him forward, his feet left the ground and he screamed hoarsely before his head impacted the earth and caused a wet, plastic sounding crunch.

Merc number seven was scrabbling in his ammo pouch when he was cut shoulder to hip, clavicle and breastbone falling in half as a twenty centimetre piece of diamond-hard, molten metal swept through his vital organs.

Everyone had released their empty clips by now, Haliat saw a Krogan drop as Aran twisted and threw one of her daggers, it spun forth and buried itself in his hearts while she butchered one in front of her at the same time. Elanos tipped his Claws cylinder back and the five, white hot magazines dropped out, his hard-suit protecting him from the illegal gun's impractical mechanism bent on causing forearm burns.

Finished with the right wing, Samus flew towards the left. One highly trained merc who had been a part of the SIU didn't lose his cool as the Raging Devil bore down on him. The clip slammed home and he was just about to draw the accelerator's activation slide back; before Aran gutted him. Lifting him off the ground and spinning his eviscerated corpse into the others in a single sweep.

The final five were slaughtered without compunction, a balletic masterclass provided by a living weapon.

Aran drew an inwards to outwards 'X' through a Batarian torso, cut a Human to ribbons with a set of three slashes. Tore two Turians new breathing holes and yerked the last Krogan in the underside of the groin; lifting him and planting him on his back, then driving the left blade through his skull.

Haliat was jamming his auto-loader in, when a fresh merc left his post and entered the room. He had his gun leveled straight at the huntress, but with that same, unfathomable speed, she withdrew the dripping knife from the Krogan's brains and hurled the orange blade, nearly cooled to a silver sheen, straight between his eyes.

His head lopped back drunkenly, then he toppled backwards, dead as Good Friday.

Elanos Haliat was gawking in mute, pant-wetting terror at the fifteen felled corpses. Aran lunged at him, blood-drunk. Her shields recharged. Easily deflecting his frantic shots, knocking aside his gun and slamming him against the wall, throttling the Batarian with both hands, her Savants fading away.

A blue-shifting, fire nimbus took their place, wrapping itself around Haliat's neck as she dragged him up until he dangled two foot of the ground in her grip, beginning to drain his life-force. Aran felt only the overwhelming desire to feed after losing forty percent of her own blood. Elanos spasmed in her grip, she heard men rushing into the chamber, the fools would probably open fire on her like before, give her time to get her strength back.

But it was not to be, an overload mine struck her in the back, the EMP scrambled not only her shields, but her brain also. Aran let go of Haliat as she slumped, the nimbus flared violet and the energy was lost. _"What the...?"_ There was no way that should have hurt her so badly.

Ten men rushed her, she stopped them in their tracks with a reave field, siphoning their life-force as she became a vortex of energy, gaining in stamina; wounds all but completely healed. A stun dart caught her on the waist partition, not all of its charge was absorbed by the gaps rubber padding. There was a crack of lightning and Samus could not help but yell in anguish as her energy flooded from her including a great deal of her reserves, purple neutralino quarks blinked into existence around her, head swimming, balance unsteady.

The brutes fell on her en masse. She killed five of them before three Krogan managed to pin her down. The rigours of the day, including the shifting of the rocks and taking so much damage had weakened her. But it was not the true cause of her sudden tiredness, she _never_ got tired. Not truly.

Passively, her Metroid abilities activated. Sucking the reptiles dry as she wrestled and lifted them off her, allowing her to knife one in the soft palate and drive several elbow strikes (complete with backwards blade) into his friend's stomach.

"Someone get this bitch's helmet off! Get the helmet off her!" Bellowed one of them as thirty mercs swamped her fighting form at once. Kicking, punching and stomping her, about three men had to hold onto every limb - and she was still half dragging, half lifting the group up and around in a one verses many scrum. If she'd been at a hundred percent; these morons wouldn't have stood a chance.

Aran's wobbly legs eventually failed in their duty when they cramped from the strange electrical attacks, she was pulled down and trapped on her front as the bodies piled on her. She didn't have the leverage, or the position to force them off her. Summoning one last burst of Metroid reave energy, she could feel their grips slackening as she raised herself up, _again_. Suddenly a set of hands ripped her N7 helmet away and jammed a pistols shock muzzle attachment against the base of her skull.

There was a blast of electrical heat, Aran's eyes lit up with a flash of cobalt and indigo light as the bio-feedback surged through her unique nervous system and her battered brain for the fourth time that day. She slumped onto her face and let the darkness begin to take hold. Not feeling the men beating down on her with stun batons, boots and iron dusters; jerking her arms up in a full nelson to be restrained.

The final images she received before her system caused her to black out; were two-fold. A small remembrance of a Tallon IV life-form... A Scatter Bombu, cousin of the Metroid, its body could only be disrupted by electricity, just as a Metroid's feeding cycle had to be similarly disrupted with directed energy. If their nerve channels absorbed too much, they would undergo atrophy and eventually explode. It seemed Samus was privy to the same weakness while draining energy, a weakness that had cost her.

The second, was Elanos grinning madly down at her, he pressed the pistol to her temple; and fired.

* * *

><p>"We're out!" Yipped Tali jubilantly as the group of five finally reached Agebinium's desolate surface through a fissure. Garrus led the team, much to Ashley and Wrex's chagrin. They were somewhere on the top of the mountain, which they had been at the bottom of earlier in the day.<p>

"Well now what do we do?" Ashley threw up her arms in defeat. "LT and the skipper are buried alive, some psycho pirate band has probably stolen the Mako, so we've got no way of traveling, _or_ hailing the Normandy. _And_, we're in the middle of nowhere!" Garrus wasn't having any of it.

"Ditch the attitude Chief! I'm trying to think!" Vakarian was at somewhat of a loss without Shepard's shining example. His concern was nothing next to Liara's though.

"That monster! He'll have both Shepard and Lieutenant Alenko put to the sword, such planning must have required a great deal of muscle from the Terminus. I say we find their camp and launch a rescue!" She finished impetuously.

"There's only five of us Doc," berated Ashley, "and probably more than five dozen of them. What kind of operation could we hope to mount? A suicide mission?"

"You don't get planet-side very much, do you Williams?" Said Wrex gruffly, ignoring her whining.

"Not until I got off Eden Prime and Anderson asked me to join up with his division."

"Kruban knows what he saw in you..." Whispered Wrex, causing Tali to stifle a laugh, but the humour couldn't last, they had to rescue their friends from Haliat's clutches, but which direction was his base?

Garrus used Amazon's placement in the sky to judge where they were from the mines entrance, that would allow them to find their way back to the M35, but they were on a cliff-side, they didn't have the climbing equipment to make a descent and it wouldn't have been feasible for Wrex anyway while he was carrying the demo nuke.

"C-Sec, C-Sec!" Badgered Wrex persistently, even as Garrus tried to make his cartographic calculations. "We need to get them back, that Haliat bastard will show them no mercy."

"If your nose can pin-point the Commander's location in this mess then I'll gladly follow your heading; not before!"

"Now listen here, bird boy..." Warned the bulky Battlemaster.

"Stop fighting! Both of you!" Tali interjected, causing the men to look shame-faced at their immature behaviour _and_ at being reprimanded by someone barely out of adolescence.

"Shepard believes in us," the pilgrim continued haltingly, gaining in confidence. "We can't let her down, not now, not ever. Together, we can achieve what one of us could never do. Together we can't possibly fail!"

Liara nodded with fervent conviction. "Tali is right, we owe it to her to be better than we ever thought we could be, to push the limits of our character, we do her a disservice by bickering like infants; while both her, and the Lieutenant, are in mortal peril!"

"And you said Shepard's personality was rubbing off on _me_?" Garrus said cheekily, impressed with the duologue speech. "Okay everyone! Here's the plan. Wrex, you'll co-ordinate with Tali to pin-point the pirate's camp with a combination of sonar and olfactory detection gear. Williams, you and me are on map reading and route tracing. T'Soni, geology, your studies should have given you a good deal of knowledge on determining types of earth; we need a starting location to narrow down. Hopefully its within a five kilometer squared area. Or we'll never get there in time."

Liara studied Garrus's omni tool, a bird's-eye-view map, complete with gradient shades, and took some quick samples of filtered dirt. Within ten minutes her initial findings were announced.

"They'd need a stable plateau to remain safe from their mining activities, there, impermeable rock, impossible to be undermined. The basin it lies in would also account for some limited protection from Amazon's radiation. But it's 10 km across, I guess its up to you two now."

"Hey guys!" Called Ashley in sudden exuberance, as the team turned to face her, she brandished a small remote control, about the size of a USB pen drive. "Good job skipper shares her gadgets with the NCO."

* * *

><p>"Shepard... Wake up."<p>

The croaking, hateful voice was behind her. She could feel the heavy-duty metal restraints at her wrists and elbows, shoulders and chest, ankles and thighs. They were secured tightly, her arms lashed together but also on the arm rests of what felt to be a custom made seat, like a cross between a barber's and a dentist's chair. Although her brain felt momentarily woozy, a short lived spell of vertigo overtook it, then faded as she shook her head. She opened her eyes and ticked off a checklist of her senses. Sight, sound, touch - they all seemed to be in working order. No fog, no fuzz, no delay.

She was in a small, bare room. a single light bulb swinging above her hypnotically from where she was strapped down, wearing only her black set of unisex boxers and sports bra. There was no air-conditioning, making it stiflingly hot. She was already sweating. Irritating welts on her body marking what had been, (and still were,) closed bullet wounds, any dried blood on her flawless skin had dissolved away thanks to her genetic precautions all those year ago. Her resolute figure bore testament to her immunity to pain.

"I'm awake, Had'dah."

The mockery of a man stepped in front at her uttered words. An almost child-like grin on his misshapen, demented face. His armour was gone in favour of a grease stained beige tank top and overall pants. He wore an eye-piece medical scope on his light-bulb shaped head and the tied up N7 also noticed that the fine fur which usually covered a Batarian's body was graying, it had fallen out in patches all over his exposed skin, leaving only a few sparse tufts. To Samus, he looked like a naked mole rat.

"Well I can see that, _Spectre_. Gotta' say, that stunt you pulled in the caverns was incredible. The stories everyone tells about you, the _legends_ of Aran Shepard, they're not all that far removed from reality, really!" Samus ignored his false overtures, noticing as he walked over to pull up a metal wheeled cart that he was holding a pair of disposable; white latex gloves.

Samus tested the solid metal restraints, they were chrome steel, with tungsten bi-weave. If they had been chains she might have been able to break them, but as it was, Haliat had not taken any risks. Using two neural inhibitor clamps of the damping field fluctuator / syringe variety used on Asari criminals, he had effectively shut down her biotics and her integrated omni tool at her vertebrae and left forearm. That and there was the small matter that cuffs like the one's Haliat was employing; were used for Krogan and Elcor convicts as well.

Haliat came back around with the three-tiered shelves on the cart. The first two held all manner of unpleasant instruments. A handheld butane torch, a box cutter with the grip wrapped in duct tape, an awl with a plastic handle, a titanium crowbar with the curved fissure encased in a two-inch layer of blue rubber foam, and numerous liquid injections with dirty needles to name a few. The bottom shelf of the cart was stocked with half a dozen white hand towels, a roll of gauze and a roll of adhesive tape. Aran's eye-line fell back on the pirate leader as he pulled one of the gloves on. The 'snap' bounced around the room. Then the other glove, 'snap'.

"So tell me, you son of a bitch. Was it _you_ - or your men who had the _courage_ to strip me, after you'd beaten me into unconsciousness?"

Egan's smile reminded Samus of a dog baring its teeth just before it growls. Make that, a libidious dog, whose eyes roved over the huntress's bound body with a barely disguised mixture of curiosity and loathing.

"Sorry," he said, sounding anything otherwise. "I never kiss and tell. But let me ask you something." He readjusted his eye-piece, it would monitor her vitals to make sure he didn't go too far. "How do you know my real name?"

"I have a lot of connections."

"Heh, well I have some _connections_ of my own. Do you know what they call you?"

"Who are 'they'?" Samus asked.

"Some of your mutual..._friends_ in the shadow community. That was how you originally caught their eye you know, the Council. It wasn't the heroics on Elysium, no. It was those joint deniable-ops in the late 70's. Good times for you I'm sure. Working with all the other _brilliant minds_ in Blackwatch, Serrice Guard, the Special Tasks Group. Only you didn't just participate in the snatch missions did you? There was also the matter of - _information retrieval_."

Aran stared at him, emotionless. Listening to the rounds of the guards outside, it was a large building, maybe a warehouse from the reverberations, the murmuring of...eighteen to twenty five men. She cocked her head at him in a quizzical manner as he paced up and down before her.

"Memories, memories," he said whimsically. "Anyway, back to my question."

"No, I don't know what they call me."

"They call you the Inquisitor. What do you think - you like it?"

Samus was monitoring her pulse. It was slow. She considered the moniker: _The Inquisitor_. The royalty of torture, first the Krogan clans with _Kruul Laak_, Plate Crusher, now the STG; they sure loved their code names.

Elanos looked slightly disappointed at Aran's apparent lack of interest. "Well I like it. Very _elegant_." He spat, as if he had tasted something bitter, the huntress remained silent, waiting Haliat out.

"So tell me then, how does it feel to torture innocents?" He went on, what he didn't expect was a chilling laugh from his captive. Utterly devoid of mirth or joy but laced with scorn.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for the Batarian radicals who we caught?" She chuckled humourlessly. "We weren't using the Cro Magnon techniques of the SIU. We used psychology, mental and emotional torture to screen active collaborators in terrorist activities. Civilians were easily intimidated, I played off their phobia's, their darkest fears, _never_ spilled any blood, I have the uncanny gift of always being able to see the truth. Those who've been trained to resist are more tricky...That requires, a firmer hand. Head games don't work with them, at first..."

Haliat was on the verge of a fit. "Well that's just _fascinating_. We'll see how much you love your _precious art_ when I pull out your fingernails. I can work on you _every_ day, until you are broken. Then I'll circumcise you and pass you around my men for them to use you as they see fit, only when you _beg me_ for death, only when I have exhausted every last drop of your misery; will I finally, kill you."

"You were probably the neglected brother in your family weren't you Had'dah? The constant disappointment, never sticking to caste norms, I bet your father despised the sight of you."

"Shut up! I swear, your suffering will be legendary even in _hell_ for what you took from me!"

"What? Not your charm and good looks, surely?"

"AAAARRRGGGHHHHH!" Haliat bore down on her and proceeded to buffet Aran around the face, trying to rearrange something in a red-misted veil over his mind. Samus turned and rolled with the blows to make it look like he was whipping her head but she quickly grew bored. Tightening her neck and jaw, Haliat's left slammed into an unyielding cheek bone, staggering him back. Furious, he aimed a right straight punch for the bridge of her nose, she dipped her chin; and Haliat's fist struck her on the crown. There was a crunch, then a scream that nearly drowned out the sound of his fingers breaking, three phalanges dislocated with a 'pop' and two knuckles were pulped beyond ordinary medical care.

"I'll cut your heart out with a _spoon!_ You... C_unt_!" Shrieked Haliat as he hopped around on one leg, his hand jammed between his thighs in an effort to relieve his suffering.

"You're _pathetic_, Had'dah. Providence has delivered me twice into your hands and yet you'll bungle this one all over again. _Just like_ last time." There was not even a faint bruise on Aran's face as she watched her supposed tormentor cry like a baby. His mercs had entered the room when they had heard the screams; and were now trying not to giggle behind his back at the sight.

"Turn the temperature in here up to maximum, I'll be back in a minute, Shepard. If only Balak was present to take over in the meantime, he'd love this as much as me."

"Actually, I don't think he'd give a shit, he's dead." She announced. "And my crew _will_ come for me."

Haliat buried his smouldering, and re-mounting anger. "Let them! We'll be ready! An Alliance warship would make a fine prize!"

"I didn't mean that crew..."

"What do you -"

"Boss!" Interrupted a Krogan mercenary. "The captured Mako's acting up!"

* * *

><p>Outside, the M35 that had been improved by Trybondian engineers, whirred into life. The six wheels spun, then separated with a pneumatic hiss as secret compartments slid open to reveal two, three-seater, two wheeled scout rovers. Ashley's remote caused them to swerve round and hare out of the camp as the pirate sentries tried to stop them. The remaining armour, tyres, micro element zero core and cannon flumped; then self-destructed in a snap-shot, blue-veined explosion that tore up several tents and enemy personnel.<p>

Leaving dust trails behind, the rovers reached the hiking rescue force three kilometers away. Ashley, Garrus and Tali mounted one, Wrex and Liara the other. Fitting the stored nuke components on the magnetized luggage rack on the rear of the vehicle. Then they sped to the camp at full throttle.

Coming over the verge, the two vehicles split as they headed down the embankment for the lower camp, up the hill was a pre-fab building where the Commander and the Lieutenant were presumably being held. Mercs rushed for their weapons and two automated turrets turned on the incoming party.

Wrex and Garrus nodded in accord while the drove side by side. The Krogan thrust out his fist, as did Liara with him. Two warp fields engulfed the artillery unit, compromising its armour on the sub-atomic level. At the same time, Garrus loosed an overload tech mine from his omni tool. Blasting the kinetic barriers apart, he raised his sniper rifle and fitted the stock against his shoulder; Ashley dodging the rockets meant to take them out. Calibrating the mass accelerator to overclock and revolve for a fresh one, Garrus fired a round straight down the barrel of the warped turret, blowing it up.

Tali dealt with the other, sending her wireless hacking virus into its processors and causing it to turn on the parked M29 Grizzly's. The APC's lifted into the air as their hydrogen fuel cells ruptured, the flaming wreckage smashed down on the encampment, scattering the mercs and giving Wrex and Liara time to park and take cover by the hacked turret. Ashley, Garrus and Tali did likewise behind an overturned M29; and readied themselves for a difficult fight.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes passed before Haliat opened the door of Aran's cell. "It seems your allies escaped my mines and are now here for you," growled Egan with pure hate in his voice. "They won't get far though, my men are engaging them as we speak."<p>

Samus drummed her fingers on the chair, at ease. "You shouldn't underestimate them. They have better weapons, better training and better motivation than a hundred of your men, though I did whittle that number down to... eighty, didn't I?"

Elanos slammed the door, and reached toward the cart, picking up the awl and the butane torch; favouring his left, unbandaged hand with the puncturing tool. The awl's steel needle was five inches long and a sixteenth of an inch thick, the grip yellowed from the sweat of countless uses.

His thumb pressed the torch's ignition button, and a thin blue flame shot out of the nozzle. He brought the needle into the fire and kept it there, turning it around slowly until it glowed red. Samus stared at the incandescent needle; it looked like the nucleus of a hearth's fire compressed into a single, lucent filament.

"Oh, I'm going to _enjoy_ this, Shepard. I'll get you to scream for me, oh, _yes_..." He put the oxy-gas instrument down awkwardly with his maimed fingers and studied the needle's tip, then brought it close to Aran's right cheek with an unwavering hand. He grabbed Aran's hair with his other pincer of thumb and little finger to immobilise the head.

Samus didn't move. Staring straight ahead, then closed her eyes. She decided to take a walk in her mind palace, using the Method of Ioci coupled with passive focal meditation. This fool wasn't worth her time, but it would be fun to watch him squirm and recognise his own helplessness.

Very slowly, Elanos pushed the hot needle into Aran's cheek until she felt the tip break through the inner side and poke at the edge of her tongue. Haliat wiggled the probe.

The palace resembled her vogue mansion on the planet Canis, she was sitting in the library, reading a book on interrogation techniques. As Elanos had intended, the torture was supposed to deliver a dual sensation: the searing pain of the hot steel and the sharp pain of the piercing flesh. Aran's brain had yonks of time to form a critique. Heating the needle was, ironically, counterproductive, since it produced something of a desensitizing effect on her already numbed skin; diminishing the intensity of the invasion.

Elanos adjusted the awl's angle slightly downward and jabbed it in farther, into the soft, connective tissue beneath the tongue. Samus felt a tingling sensation in her jaw as she double-checked her notes on the escape procedure, it would be, interesting...

Haliat snarled in frustration and shoved the awl in deeper. Its point came up against something solid. Bone. The pain should have been molten, reduced the victim to a frenzy of screaming so that they'd damage their own flesh from their thrashing. The nerve impulse that reached Aran's brain were only 0.01 milivolts over her threshold. She was aware of the pain, but she didn't mind.

Shaking his head, Haliat tore the awl out viciously, trying to give her half a Glasgow smile. But the muscle held. Samus opened her mouth and spat blood. The heat had created a circular pink flush on the cheek, and a crimson bubble began to grow in its centre. Elanos picked up one of the hand towels and started to wipe clean the implement with short, measured strokes.

"I'm curious," he announced. "Professionally speaking, on a scale of one to ten, how much did that hurt?"

Samus's eyes opened, and when they swiveled to Egan Had'dah, light flashed on their reflective surfaces. "how much did _what_ hurt?"

A twinge of icy fear ran down Haliat's spine as he looked up from his cleaning ritual into Aran's fathomless blue orbs; he would cut them out before Amazon set! So he swore. He picked up the crowbar; still wishing to take his time.

"That day on the Elysium Plaza," said Aran, her cheek and mouth crevasses already beginning to knit and coagulate at a speed greater than an ordinary Human. It would be healed fully within two days. "I really beat you with an ugly stick, how come you couldn't get reconstructive treatment?" Haliat took a few practice swings and surprisingly, answered.

"I did. That biotic attack you hit me with, it was like I was suffering flu on the spot. I only managed to walk a week later. But then I discovered 'side-effects'. My face and skin necrotizing, the plastic surgery and ocular nerve transplants sloughing off and out of my bones. I have to take medication and vitamin supplements daily to stave off paralysis."

"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy," quipped Samus airily. Haliat swung and hit Aran flush on the bridge of the nose with the flat side of the jimmy. Bursting her nasal capillaries and throwing her head back with a loud grunt. Agony ballooned in her face but her proboscis held firm. Elanos swung again, the blunted tip slammed into her skull just above her left eye, cutting the taut tissue. He brought it back, then down, twice more in quick succession. Smashing the curved end into her abdomen, the her sternum.

Aran's ears filled with a high pitched whine as she expelled small puffs of air, recovering from the assault, seemingly no worse for wear. Egan threw the ineffective bar of metal away and grabbed her by the jaw. Ramming her head back against the headrest.

"Listen to me," he gibbered, leaning in very close. His breath smelled rank and fetid. "You think you're something special? You'll die in this chair, bitch! Even if your friends reach this building, I'll kill you before they can breach this door. That's right, this session is effectively a norell." (No Release Likely - Ed) "You may as well be at one of your _black sites_ you love to frequent. Must be_ strange_ being on the other side of this?"

"Not really, though most people wanted to torture me for information on a job, not out of some petty, vindictive spite."

"Lets see how like this, then!" Haliat snatched up a syringe and held it up before her. "This is 67% concentrated hydrofluoric acid. It'll pickle the skin off YOUR FACE!"

"Oh dear," said Aran in a bored tone as he pushed down on the plunger and sprayed a jet of the coulourless solution straight at her. It steamed vapour as it washed over her. Haliat was still smiling, expecting her flesh to become irritant and corrode away like a meat milkshake. She was unharmed.

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" Haliat shrieked like a banshee, Samus tossed her hair in mock seduction, the acid ran off her as if it was water. Thunderstorms on Zebes had showered her from age three with acidic rain as weak as pH 1! It took a truly remarkable base to react with the huntress's skin. Haliat had lost it completely, he was sharpening the box cutter in preparation for some eye gouging. Samus gathered her power, ready to break free.

"Poor, poor Egan," Samus cooed, the Batarian freak's shoulders bunched and his sharpening quickened. "Reviled before, reviled after, exiled to the edge of the Galaxy because of your pathetic failures."

"You know as much as you think, Human!"

"Thank you, I do know quite a lot then. Not you however... No, you're just, _afterbirth,_ Elanos..."

"No!" He sniveled, clutching his temples, still holding the metal craft knife and the honing rod in both hands.

"...That slithered out on your mother's_ filth_. You're not even _worth_ killing... They should have preserved you and put you in a glass _jar, _on a mantlepiece."

"I'LL _KILL_ YOU!" His scream ripped his vocal cords as he turned, Samus acted.

It is common knowledge that all biotics had to discharge static after prolonged use of their powers. Aran's nerve pathways could hold that accumulated static and other energy wavelengths, indefinitely. Only recently had she discovered that she could shed this excess energy just like her Metroid siphon drain; and she had used _a lot_ of biotics since arriving.

There was a flash of white, lilac rimmed energy from her arms. The restraints on her upper limbs sprang open. Egan was launched across the room as if fired from a sling shot, smashed into the wall and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Two guards rushed in, a Krogan and a Batarian, Samus zapped her leg restraints open and jumped up. Before they could raise their weapons, Aran sent two more bolts of pure electroball discharge into them, the gigawatts surged through them, their spines arced as the plasma exited through their eyes and mouths in a blast of blue / yellow electricity.

Spinning around, she saw Had'dah escape through a secret door. The Batarian had prepared so many contingencies to break his hated foe, there were but three more challenges for her to beat down, in the end; he had miscalculated. Badly.

* * *

><p>Outside, the battle was turning in the Normandy shore party's favour. The mercs had not been prepared for commando-style hit and run attacks, or any attacks for that matter. Which was what Garrus and Ashley had decided to do, strafing their positions with the scout rover. The Turian was riding shotgun and the Gunnery Chief was well-versed with the headlight-mounted grenade launchers; driving them back.<p>

Wrex, Liara and Tali were a force to be reckoned with, pulling the pirates out of cover with biotics and tech, surmounting entrenched positions as if the enemy were just giving them away. Even tackling groups three times their size in numbers. But their momentum couldn't last, the final bands regrouped on the hill up to the building and from there, managed to hold back the team.

* * *

><p>Samus padded down the dark corridor after making five more corpses out of men. The cell at the end held Kaidan, shackled similarly. Still out cold and stripped to his underwear, but it didn't look like he'd been tortured. Deciding he was more or less safe in there, especially with so many more guards around. Samus left him to sleep it off.<p>

Remembering that she was decidedly more vulnerable than usual, Samus decided to play this one in stealth mode. After all, she had no barrier or even her basic shield harmonics active thanks to the neural inhibitors, she couldn't draw them out by force unless she wished to cause herself loss of all sensation, or worse. But her newly evolved powers would even the playing field considerably; and she had no intention of holding back her physical prowess.

She snuck into the main warehouse in a low run, almost cat-like, scanning for bad guys.

_"She's in there with you, boys."_ Had'dah's voice came over an intercom. _"DON'T let her get to me, there's a million creds for the man who kills that alien slut!"_

"Alien?" Queried one merc to his buddy, Aran was leaning round a corner when the Human and Turian duo investigated side-by-side, assault rifles out; she hadn't bothered to take any of the noisy weapons, she leapt up to the fifteen metre tall storage crates as they came around the corner she had been hiding behind seconds before.

"I heard from the Boss that she cooked Big Hungry Joe alive with some kind of lightning. And that she wasn't even affected by his fun and games."

His Turian friend scoffed: "Shepard may be a, what do you guys call them, a BAMF? But she's mortal like the rest of us, she sticks her head out and I'll blow it off!"

"Bullets don't work on her man, I was down in the mines, she shrugged off a firing squad as if it was nothing!"

"So she has some fancy shit armour, at least Haliat moved her stuff to the camp so she couldn't retrieve it like in every escape sequence ever conceived. If only our moron of a leader had killed her when she was unconscious this would never have happe -"

He never got to finish, Samus leapt down on top of them, her calf's wrapping around the Turian's neck, her arms around his compatriot in a flying, dunking log roll that resulted in a mighty crack and a lot of slipped spinal discs.

_"Section B!_ Gr_omulus and Chuck's lifesigns went out, she's in section B, you son's of whores! Move it!"_

Five of the mercs rushed to the furthest aisle, only to see their friends sprawled out with their necks snapped. The leader checked their vitals.

"She did both of them in!"

A Krogan among them was having none of it: "SHEPARD! Come on out and fight! Hiding in the shadows, huh? Too scared to face me?"

There was a rumbling, grinding sound from above. All of them screamed and fired futilely at a falling, 40ft shipping container as it toppled off its brothers and squashed them like ants. Aran dusted her palms as she viewed her handiwork.

The remaining seventeen divided off into smaller groups, not wishing to be all caught in a similar trap. Except now, Samus could conquer them individually.

Egan raved over his microphone as the orange blips on his console that were his last boys, began to disappear one by one. He turned to his two best men, Drell security contractors, both wearing smart suits and ties.

"I'm relying on you both, wait for her on the upper gantry and kill her!" He ran and climbed up the steep, handle-barred stairwell to put on his hard suit and make his exit through the pressure door on the roof. If all else failed, he knew what would finish the job once and for all.

The last two mercs stood back to back, a small Human and a large Krogan. Both were very, very afraid. As his shotgun barrel slowly pivoted around, the reptile noticed his companion was frozen stiff, as if petrified. The pirate nudged him, then gasped as his body and armour turned a murky coal colour, carbonised, then dissolved away.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" He bellowed, spinning around wildly in all directions, he stopped.

"Here." Came a whispered voice from behind him. Yelling hoarsely, he activated his under barrel chain blade, but within a couple of wrestling moves his adversary had pinned the teeth under his jaw. Samus stood looking away from his hump and pulled the blade round, tearing out his throat, following up with a diagonal slash that cut his face in half.

Refreshed and healed from life force supplements, Samus bounded through the complex and up to the control room where Haliat had been 'supporting' his men. Carrying on, she took the stairs in a single leap and headed along the gantry. She stopped upon seeing the two Drell bodyguards.

They were both dressed in unbuttoned, three-piece suits. One wore a midnight black suit with a matching waist coat and a dark red tie, the other, a white suit with a cream shirt and a sky blue tie.

A nearly extinct race, having been uplifted during their apocalypse. The Drell were a lizard people. With webbed middle and ring fingers, scaly skin, oblique, wide eyes with double lids and unique colouring. The one in the black suit was nearly the same colour as his tie, a ruby shade, except with bright orange flaps on either side of his external hyoid bone. The one in white, was greyish brown with a silver sheen. His 'gills' were a similar cream colour to his dress shirt.

Interestingly, both had their inner eyelids of darkest jet open, meaning Samus could see their iris's and that they could be actively employing their eidetic memory. Ruby's glowed scarlet, Silver's, an eerie white.

Samus considered flash frying them both on the spot. But when they settled into fighting stances, she decided against that. Having heard tales of the Drell's martial skills and wishing to pit them against her own.

Ruby and Silver both smiled in a cocky, devil-may-care attitude. They were young and hot-headed. Buoyed up with their successful contracts; Aran almost felt sorry for having to put such fine specimen's six feet under. _Almost_. Ruby drew two, civilian-issue, ornamental variants of the Turian 'Talon' combat knife, elegant weapons with engraved hilts. He held one over his head in a reverse grip and the other out in front of him like a rapier; they were held loose and confident, his pose wide and side on, centre of gravity lowered, he spun the outstretched Talon in circles towards him, 'beckoning' the half naked woman.

Silver had a more conservative style, it almost seemed like a Wing Chun stance, mixed with a bit of Tiger-Crane. Aran clasped her fist in her palm and bowed. Taking her eyes off them.

Insulted, Silver dashed at her with an overhead, spinning axe kick. Samus straightened at the last moment and caught his attack in mid-flight, punching him in the balls and tossing him over her head, he flew past the gantry's safety rail and nearly fell to his death. If he hadn't grabbed the ledge desperately.

Ruby charged, just as impetuous, harrying the older warrior with a multitude of slashes and feints. Aran didn't fall for one of them. Checking them with one forearm and side-steps, ferrying him into position. The young Drell grew angry at her impassable guard and attempted a spinning slash and stab move. She kneed him in the spine 'gently' as he executed the ponderous technique; sending him head over arse to land on his back.

He wind-milled his legs, regaining his balance. Even though Samus could have destroyed him in seventy different ways after her second whole blow in the fight.

Both Drell were now together opposite her again, Silver looked murderous as he took up his stance gingerly. This time it was the huntress who made the 'bring it' gesture. They looked at each other, then attacked in tandem, going high and low. Samus flipped from a standing position, over their attacks. In the middle of her hyper twist, her leg shot out at an impossible angle, striking Ruby in the base of the skull with deliberately chosen force; enough to stun - but not to kill.

His partner disabled, Silver engaged the N7 Veteran with lethal force. Forearms collided with palms, shins smacked against each other, Silver swept at Aran's legs, she hopped up nimbly. He backed away, then feinted a low kick before jumping into an elbow drop. Samus slapped the offending body part aside and Silver countered with a reverse fist, Aran ducked, rising as he completed his turn and seized her with a swan-neck grab, head-butt. The huntress reversed the grapple attack into a side clinch, hammering his kidneys with a clenched fist followed by locking his shoulder and throwing him to the deck. She made a point of waiting for him to get up.

The duo were pained, embarrassed, furious and frightened. They attacked again, Samus did a horizontal split to avoid them, then a three sixty break dancing sweep to floor them once more. Ruby circled round her and tried to force her into a corner, Aran jumped up and swung around a pole rafter, doing a single hand support stand for show. The red-eyed Drell hurled one of his knives at her but she tucked and somersaulted off.

The Chozo Guardian was disappointed, these guys were all style, no substance. It would take them ten years of remembering her moves to even come close to beating her. And then, she could always use some more. Play time was over.

She blocked and parried their moves simultaneously, before sending Ruby's other knife arm into his companion's femoral artery as he tried to execute a straight kick to her head. Silver dropped in mute shock, even as Samus struck Ruby in the mouth with a reverse vertical elbow, passing her double jointed socket as she leant forward and staggered him back with the force of the blow. Then she turned and span while jumping, Ruby anticipated a spinning roundhouse kick and guarded his left temple. Aran's left leg exploded out instead, in a mid-air snap kick which struck him in the diaphragm as she let out a bird-like cry.

Half-dead and with a shunted set of vital organs, Ruby flew over the side of the railings and was tangled with a length of industrial chain; he fell a bit further as the links wrapped around him, then the chain snapped taut, lynching him.

Aran turned to Silver, who was stumbling upright. Within no time, Aran manipulated him around with his tie and jacket, pulling it over his head to constrain him. After a flooring, overhead thigh kick to the pectoral, Samus judiciously beat him to death with three palm strikes to the head. Dark green blood seeped and bone smashed china clinked through the white dinner jacket that served as his funeral shroud.

Sighing, Aran plucked the knife out and palmed it, taking the final doors to the anti-chamber. It was a long passage with a vacuum sealed bulkhead at the end. Egan Had'dah, Elanos Haliat, whatever you wanted to call him. Stood at the far end. Full sealed armour on, and his Taurus leveled at her.

"You know that won't work Had'dah; I could dodge those bullets in my sleep." Under his tinged, full-face visor, she knew he was grinning. He pressed one of the buttons, the pressurised trap closed behind her. Samus looked at the rack of light hard suits, they had all been compromised with acid. The inhospitable atmosphere of Agebinium she could survive, the radiation of the Red Dwarf beating down on the ball of dirt was another matter entirely.

Of course, she could activate the Varia suit, waste Adam's advanced gift of the modified beacon on only herself. No. That would not do, Adam had said it would take him two years to replace the beacons and develop four more that could account for a Galaxy's breadth in space between her and and her free matter, energy state battle armour within the Nova Corvette. By then, the Council would know her for what she truly was.

She would have to trust in her nano-crystular stasis field technique to keep her safe. She had not gone through all this shit in one day to let Haliat escape. The man in question raised his finger over the other button, Aran centered herself, feeling the millenia's worth of knowledge and power flow through her. A neutralino field rippled around her. Shifting from gold to cyan as she focused on nothing but her enemy. The damping clamps sparked, then retracted and fell out from her neck and left wrist.

Haliat shrieked in fear when he saw her biotics come back on line. He stabbed the button. De-pressurising the room. Solar wind ripped through the corridor but the huntress didn't sway or fall with ruptured ears, her own physiology accounted for that. A shiny, metallic blue diffused from her skin and formed the zero suit as it flowed over her and joined together like a living organism. The neural inhibitors had precluded it's use before now. As Per usual, Aran mentally decided on the colour and consistency, making it with hi-light groove tracks and light armour on her gloves and knees as the cat suit defined her body. The sigils on her back, hand and breast were a bright green and the Space Cadet coloured texture was as smooth as snake skin.

"How can you not be dead! This should kill you, it should! It should!" He jumped up and down, stomping his feet as only a lunatic could. Then he ran for his miserable life.

Elanos squeezed through the opening exit and headed for the hills. Samus walked after him on softly padded feet, breathing air that no-one had ever breathed before. Haliat sprinted over the metal roof and began to jog up a small mound to his waiting escape shuttle.

Now fully in the eye of Amazon. The air undulated around her but the radiation and sub-zero temperatures were kept at bay, just. It took every ounce of mental power Aran possessed to maintain the field and put one foot in front of another. This was something she definitely had to practice more, one's skills are never complete, even at nearly three thousand years of age it seemed.

Teeth set in a one woman verses Red Dwarf battle, Samus Aran began to jog, then run, then sprint. Haliat glanced over his shoulder and squealed as she neared him. They both reached level ground and as Egan fumbled with the side door, Aran power-walked right at him.

"HAD'DAH!" She yelled, the Batarian whipped around and fired his .454, the bullet passed through Aran's left bicep. She just kept on coming. Haliat's eyes were unfocused at the woman's sheer tenacity. He couldn't do a damn thing as her right fist caught him in the chest while he gawped stupidly; at least he assumed it was her fist, he hadn't noticed the number of the air bus that had just hit him.

Groggily, Elanos found everything coming back to consciousness. He was on his back by the edge of the cliff, a little ways off from his shuttle. He was restrained on his back by a one-way stasis field, his enemy standing over him.

"Please! Don't hurt me! Please! Please..." He begged. Aran just looked at him, her eyes X-raying his very soul, and she saw canker beyond redemption. The energy shroud that waved in and out of existence gave her the presence of a divine being in comparison.

"I did tell you that you weren't worth my killing," Haliat seemed to sigh in relief at her words, but she wasn't finished yet. "So I'm not going to leave it up to me. In fact, I don't think you deserve to sully _even this_ dead world with your _carcass_; it would be an insult to burial practices themselves if the likes of _you_ lay on _any_ world."

She used her newly reactivated omni tool to de-tint his visor; she wanted to see his face as he left Agebinium. With a lift field, Haliat was suspended before her. She turned her palm over and Haliat turned upside down.

"What are you going to do?" He asked fearfully.

"This." She jabbed a hole in his neck with a warp spark on her thumb, piercing the sealant, the rays began to eat away at the weaker under-layer separating him from asphyxiation. While he was trying to stem the air loss, she revolved his floating body around and stabbed Ruby's Talon into his lumbar, severing his tectospinal tract and paralyzing his legs just as she had been wounded on Elysium by his hand. She yanked it out and sealed the armour with his own omni gel, he hadn't felt a thing she had been so precise. His lower trunk numbed completely.

"No! Shepard, my legs! You don't have to do this!" But she was deaf to his pleas as she began to levitate him up into the sky slowly.

"You have materials on your omni tool to fix the patch, Had'dah. Of course, you'll then die of dehydration. Take your pick. Oh," she threw him the antique Talon, which he caught and stared at in confusion. "In case you want to speed things up."

Egan Had'dah cursed, and whined and cried as he floated fifty feet up into the sky. Effectively 'falling' off the world. Samus gathered a small amount of dark energy from the limitless surroundings and threw it at him. He rocketed skywards; and he would never stop. The light atmosphere ensuring he would never slow or still. The man who had led the Skyllian Blitz, was as good as dead. And those who'd died, including Aran's friends from the _SSV Thermopylae_, had finally been avenged.

Samus collapsed on both knees; the rigours of the day finally overcoming her. Then, her internally generated protection began to compartmentalize. Dealing with Haliat had caused a mental process to lock out, meaning that no matter how hard she strived, the neutralino exclusion shield that was born from the very energy surging through her nervous system began to prioritize.

Protecting major cybernetic pathways before other organs, for example; because her control was beginning to slip. Aran began to suffer the equivalent of severe heat stroke as Amazon's sun began to affect her, soon, the domino effect took over. her strength drained yet again to keep the radiation from killing her, all her body and mind concentrated on staying alive. This however, ruined the healing process of new Metroid tissue regeneration through medi gel and life-force particles as they were re-directed to fighting the cancer. Old wounds that she had suffered that day opened up, the merc's bullet injuries, Haliat's torture marks, the costly feat of strength in the mines. The zero suit melted away as her life blood poured out of her again from numerous open sites, her skin was turning a pale pallor and her eyes rolled into the back of her head until only the whites remained.

The attack caused her to tremble violently, causing her to fall down the slope and roll to a stop. Convulsing as her skin began to to take first and second degree burns. The biting cold began to sap her will as well to the point of total exhaustion. Burning and freezing, Aran dragged herself for the entrance on her belly; chipping away at the pain with a determination none could match. But it didn't matter that her mind was more powerful than her matter. Eventually, the body always says, _enough._

She got ten metres before she finally gave up her waking hours, praying that she was not alone; otherwise she would never awaken.

* * *

><p>The team searched frantically through the pirate base. The battle had been bloody but they had prevailed. They were gladdened to see the carnage Aran had left behind; surely she was safe somewhere. But only Kaidan was incarcerated in the make-shift prison cells; after freeing him, the team headed for the roof, passing all the bodies as they went.<p>

"Shepard...? SPIRITS, NO!" Garrus threw his rifle aside as he looked out of the air-lock. He scrambled for his Commander, who was laying as if dead on the surface of Agebinium. Covered in terrible lacerations and radiation burns, not to mention a thin layer of ice. The only sign of life was that her golden hair had come loose from its pony tail, waving feebly in the wind as if in tired greeting.

Tali, Wrex, Liara, Ashley and a re-suited Kaidan raced with him. They covered their leader reverently with a reflective foil, insulating blanket, Liara placed an oxygen mask on Aran's face while Tali injected an anti-freezing peptide. They grabbed the makeshift stretcher, three on either side and ran as fast as they dared back inside to apply first aid and hail the Normandy.

Minutes later, they had found the pirate's radio transistor and called the SR-1 down into the atmosphere. The majestic ship landed by the front entrance, where the team and the scout rovers could board through the cargo hold's ramp. The Commander was rushed by four of her friends to Dr. Chakwas while the crew could do nothing but watch and wait.

Wrex was pacing around like a caged beast in the mess hall, Tali and Garrus were relating the day's events to the crew in subdued voices; they had been too late, or so they thought. But most of the Alliance ship mates were not optimistic of their Commander's chances of pulling through.

Within the med bay, Karin, Kaidan, Ashley and Liara all together placed Aran's heavy form on the closest medical gurney. Hooking up electrodes and using the robotic surgical equipment to scan the damage. The elderly doctor was more than a little shocked when she saw that the Commander's heart rate was at rest and that her breathing, while shallow, was slow and steady. They had to cut her out of her limited clothing and get her comfortable dark grey pillows and duvet blankets for the cold.

"The greatest danger to the Commander seems to have passed," she explained to her two nurses, Ashley having left. Liara was only half-listening, applying a small dose of medi gel to the vein on the back of Aran's right hand. Bruises had raised up all over her battered, nude form and when Liara saw the wounds on Aran's face her heart melted.

"Air ways are open, vitals are strong. She must be in a state of - _self-hypnosis_ to have kept herself alive. Remarkable... Lieutenant Alenko, fetch me the enhanced potassium iodide. Dr. T'Soni, help me bandage her up."

Even as Liara applied a salve and rolls of sterilised, adhesive pads to the scrapes and burns, Karin had to fizzle down and extract bullet shrapnel from other, deeper injury sites, wrapping limbs with larger bandages. Yet she marveled at the Commander's resilience, no bones were broken, no organs were crushed, there was no onset of gangrene or fever for her to counter-act. What really intrigued her was the brain activity, the EEG scans showed abnormal wavelengths, they were off the chart and not in a manner that corresponded to mental illness.

Intravenously, they gave her water and anti-radiation medicine. Aran's limbic system and organism absorbed and amplified the nourishing chemicals sluggishly, it would be a day or two before she was fully recovered.

"Shouldn't we get her to a proper hospital?" Said Kaidan, "That bastard, Haliat really worked her over and being exposed to Agebinium's atmosphere like that, I'm not convinced. She could have some kind of undetectable infection, or brain damage, not to mention the chance of cancer..."

"You - _wish_, Lieutenant..." Came a tired voice, the trio turned to see their Commander had opened her eyes blearily. "_No_ - _hospitals_, that's an - order..." She passed out again, her brain activity returning to normal fluctuations.

After reassurances that the Commander was stable, Kaidan left to spread the good news. Liara stood at Karin's side, watching Samus sleep peacefully. She heard the cheers of the crew and Wrex's roar of: "I KNEW SHE WAS ONE TO WATCH! SHE'S FREAKING' UNSTOPPABLE!" It was several hours later, deep in the night cycle of the ship's running procedure. Hot bunking and all, when Karin and Liara sat at Aran's bedside.

"How harmless she seems now," Liara whispered to Karin, noticing how calm and relaxed her Commander's usually alert and intense gaze was. Her angled features soft and almost child-like during slumber.

"Yes," replied Chakwas, "you wouldn't know she was truly indomitable. She chose her friends well on a similar merit it seems; oh don't be modest, Liara. If not for you and the others, we would have lost _two_ good friends today. Jeff was beside himself when you went off the map. He _always_ blames himself; though he did make himself feel better by having Ashley man her battle-station and destroy the pirate camp with a disruptor torpedo."

"Hah, I am glad there is so much love and loyalty aboard this ship for Shepard."

"We wouldn't follow her otherwise, it's funny though. The Commander never really comes to me for medical aid, she takes care of all her injuries sustained in the field herself. In fact, her records are practically spotless regarding any and all health problems..." Karin got to her feet. Liara stayed. "Get some rest, dear. Our Commander will be fine, they don't make them like her anymore."

"No," Liara gazed at Samus with something approaching ardour. "No they don't."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *Collapses* I think a nice, _slow_, chapter is on the agenda next time! Save up the action for Noveria and Virmire. Plenty of character interaction as Liara searches for the truth, Pressly grouches, Joker jokes, Wrex and Garrus swap tall tales, Ashley and Kaidan bitch about the Council and Samus faces her newest challenge. A fear-mongering reporter from hell and an overly zealous fan!  
><strong>


	24. Adagio

_"Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living."_

_(John Dewey)  
><em>

**Adagio**

'Beep,' two seconds later to the dot, 'beep.' The heart rate monitor tracked Aran's vitals as she snoozed with placid serenity. Chest rising and falling in exact intervals. It was well into the second night cycle when the hunter finally awoke and self-assessed the internal damage to her organism.

Once more, it seemed that Chozo and Metroid physiology, coupled with her well-versed survivability; had saved Samus from another gruesome fate. She stirred fitfully in discomfort but otherwise did not make an attempt to get up from bed.

As she slept on, Dr. T'Soni exited her quarters towards the rear of the med bay and wondered over to the only patient to check up on her.

What first caught her attention, was that the formerly rusty brown bandage pads on her patient's cheek, arm and other areas of the body; were now clean! As if Aran's blood and all its trace elements had dissipated into thin air.

Gently, the Asari unraveled a bandage where a serious bleeding burn had been on the Commander's midriff. In place of the open wound, there was a fresh patch of sensitive-looking, pink and pliant, new skin.

Liara hesitated, then tentatively stroked the sight with the tips of her own soft fingers, in wonder at this miraculous healing. It elicited a squeaky murmur from Shepard that was very at odds with the reputation she had cultivated. The Doctor withdrew her hand quickly, afraid she had gone too far.

"Uh huh... that tickles... Liara." Assured Samus to the Asari scientist's unspoken concern without even confirming who it was. Her eyes cracked open slightly to view her bed-side guest. She beheld her quietly for a few seconds, soaking up the care and affection that her crew had lavished on her. Swiveling her head, she noticed the collection of 'get well soon' cards on the side-table, not to mention the amount of comforters she was wrapped in, to the point that she was almost like a child in swaddling clothes. This was new, this lavish treatment, it had been a long time since a group had cared this much for her.

"Welcome back," said Liara, her eyes swimming in unshed tears as she helped the Commander sit up slowly.

"I knew – all of you would end up saving _me _eventually," Samus replied with a wry smile which Liara returned gladly. Still weak, Liara had to help Aran consume some solid food, informing her of the relative success of the mission and that it had been over forty eight hours since they had left Agebinium.

"We've been orbiting the Amazon Theta relay for two days now, XO Pressly told me, well, he told Chief Williams to tell me; that we need a new heading."

Samus put this latest racial insinuation from two of her highest ranking officers aside for now, preparing for another battle, one of ideals and politics, not hand-to-hand and firearms and gave Liara her answer: "We make a beeline for the Citadel, I'll need to get up soon and contact those who I left to take over in case anything like this occurred."

"You planned to end up like this?"

"No, of course not, but we have so many distractions from our main objective. I delegated some of our missions to fellow Spectres, they were only too glad to accept and they'll be expecting my peripheral involvement; at the very least." She added acerbically.

"I see, it is good that you have accrued so much respect from other agents in such a short time. Do you wish to speak to any of the squad? Many are waiting for a word with you since the incident."

"Absolutely, I should be fully recovered by tomorrow morning. Oh, and one more thing" she took Liara's left hand in hers. "You and I have unfinished business. When we leave the Citadel, we'll see about _finally_ solving the Prothean connection." To say that Liara was excited about such a prospect to look forward to; would have been a monumental understatement. She was bouncing for joy when she left to bring in her next two well-wishers, (Dr. Chakwas was strict that way), Ashley and Kaidan.

"Commander! Thank God you're alright!" Ashley could not help but gush as she ran to Samus and clasped her right hand in a sisterly act of affection. Samus winced inwardly at the _divine_ invocation but ignored it in favour of a wide grin as the Gunnery Chief disengaged her grip; Alenko kept a respectful distance, not that he could have shook her hand, his own right arm being in a sling. A roll of bandages was wrapped around his temples as well.

"I second Ash with that, Shepard - um, Commander!"

"At ease, Lieutenant. Thank our ancestors that we're all still here after those death traps that man set up for us."

"What happened to Haliat? We didn't find his body..." Said Ashley carefully.

"He's gone, I made sure of that." They never asked her about Elanos's fate again. "What about you Kaidan? How are you holding up?"

"Fine, Commander. His men roughed me up quite a bit, but I'll bounce back. Doc says I should be ready for action by the end of the week; something similar to your diagnosis from what she's told us."

"Nope," Aran refuted, "I want the entire crew to see me up and about my 800' hours tomorrow; at chow time."

"With all due respect, Commander, that's crazy! Chakwas says you should have died within twenty seconds on Agebinium's surface without a hard suit. You were out there for much longer than that! How can your body take that?"

"I can take it." She stated simply, in a tone that broached no room for argument. They continued the pleasantries for a short time, until Samus sent Kaidan away to speak to Ashley in private.

"Which of you led the team in my and the LT's absence?"

Ash was somewhat disconcerted at the line of questioning but ventured on: "Vakarian, ma'am."

"... I see, the chain of command dictated the succession to you. _Huh_..." She sighed. "We need to discuss your attitude, Williams."

"Ma'am?"

"You _know_, what I'm talking about. I've read your files, you've _never_ served with an alien crew before this operation. Bring Garrus in here, we need to settle this once and for all."

Within less than a minute, Garrus and Ashley sat by Aran's side as she listened to their combined story. How they had located the camp, used the Mako's upgrades to free the vehicle from pirate control. Followed by the assault and subsequent rescue.

Though impressed with their commitment, Samus was wary of Williams allowing Garrus to dictate during the final hours of the mission. She was sure Vakarian would go on to do great things, but she wouldn't allow him preference at the cost of the Chief's confidence and recently burgeoning career.

"This is a multilateral mission, Williams. You're going to have to work with aliens whether you like it or not." Samus reminded her, as much as Ashley's patriotism nauseated her; Aran could see that it gave the Chief a passion in combat that few could match. It was her responsibility to encourage the healthier aspects of that conviction and prune away at the offshoots of mistrust and inevitable bigotry that Ashley, (despite her assurances to the contrary), would fall into.

"No problem skipper. You tell me to jump, I ask how high. You tell me to kiss a Turian, I'll ask which cheek."

"There'll be no need for that level of commitment," laughed Garrus, holding up his hands in mock defence. _And_ cutting across Samus as she was about to speak. "Besides, Williams. This_ problem_ should be fixed by now. I look forward to working with you again." He gave the Turian salute, a three-fingered hand placed across his chest, the plane of the palm facing down, then brought out about five inches in a small movement of respect.

Ashley favoured him with a marine salute in return and looked to Samus, confused; the Commander excused her with a nod and a subtle wink. This was not just about Ash's character flaws.

Garrus turned back around and was taken totally by surprise as his Commander grabbed him by the rim of his collar with her right hand and yanked him down to her eye-level, roughly. Even in her current state, Vakarian had seen enough of her in action to know that he didn't stand a chance against this magnificent woman;_ if_ he was stupid enough to fight back. He awaited her judgement with bated breath, realising he had done something very foolish to bring her ire down upon him.

"Who am I?" She said fiercely, making sure he didn't look away.

The Turian sharp-shooter was at a loss for words by this strange request, had the Commander suffered partial amnesia through her injuries? He tried to pull away slightly but she kept him in place.

"Who _am I?_" She repeated, stronger this time. Garrus gulped.

"You're - our Commander." He replied nervously, hoping that this was some sort of test, one that he would hopefully survive to tell his grandchildren.

"And _who_ are you?"

"...Garrus Vakarian."

"Who _are_ you?" She put special emphasis on the middle subject of her sentence.

Garrus then fully recognised his arrogant folly as he regretfully answered: "Your soldier."

Samus was glaring at him, practically nose to nose while she growled out every word as if she were chewing rough-cut glass up from her throat. "Do you want to _lead_ someday?"

Garrus made a mute affirmative, ashamed as the waves of disappointment that radiated from Aran, submerged him. Though her true feelings were well hidden behind the guise of this military pep-talk.

"Then learn how to _follow_." She let go of the front of his armour and allowed him to straighten up.

"I'm - I'm sorry Commander, I was caught up in the moment I -"

"No excuses Garrus, not from you. This is as much my fault as it is yours. More, even." Garrus stood, dumbfounded. Samus continued morosely.

"I've spent too much time with Liara and Tali, I've neglected _your_ development and that of Ash's and Kaidan's._ I_ - am sorry. From this moment on I'll make more time to tutor you, both together and individually."

"You have no duty to me in that way." Garrus rebuked her generosity with childish pride.

"Of course I do! I won't_ let you_ throw your impetuous thoughts around on my ship. But I also won't let you copy my every move as if it was the paramount truth. You've _got_ to_ think_ for yourself Garrus, don't follow my example blindly, or that of anyone else's. _Live_, for your own character."

"But my character is determined by those I look up to!" He argued.

"No, your attitude is. Your outlook is unique. That forms the greater heart of character, and _your character_ is not destined to be a pale copy of _mine_."

"I - _Spirits_...You're - right. You're always right. Shepard, thanks for helping me with this; I'll try not to usurp Ash's authority again."

"I'm _not_ always right, Garrus. But I recognise my failings and I act to mitigate them. It was never your acts that I was worried about, but the mind-set behind them; remember, _temperance_, Vakarian. Temperance."

After such exertions, Samus could only settle back down to recover her vitality. Karin and Liara checked up on her charts and monitors in the meantime. The British doctor examined a muscle scan she had taken of the Commander earlier that evening. It was an intimidating sight to witness the woman's physique, hardened by centuries of cortical remodeling; every major muscle group ended with a double joint but that wasn't the main eye catching feature. The main one, was that there was an obscene amount of intercostal scar-tissue but no surface scars were apparent on her epidermis.

"My goodness," breathed Chakwas as she double-checked the scan. It arrived at the same conclusion.

"Liara, take a look at this." She handed over the holo pad with the results to the Asari archaeologist, Liara studied it for a short while then placed it down, unsure.

"What can this mean?" Liara announced, sounding calmer than she felt.

"One of several things," muttered Chakwas, still in shock. "Either the Commander has undergone secret gene therapy trials that manifest after a shorter time than has ever been hypothesized, _or_, she has lived like this for a long time, perhaps since infancy."

"Infancy..." Breathed Liara, hardly daring to think about what kind of experimentation would be necessary to cause such physiological and biological advantages. Chakwas believed she had found an easy answer.

"I think the most obvious explanation, is that the Spectres subject their candidates to a secret process that allows for beneficial mutation. The Salarians are the main backers of the Citadel's genetic enhancement program; they must keep some of their most astounding discoveries for Special Tactics alone."

"Your Sirta Foundation did manage the development of medi gel," acceded Liara warily, still not entirely sure that Karin's rational argument disproved her own theories...

"Exactly, Shepard has shown increased compatibility with healing ointments that border almost on the point of being supernatural. Increased durability, lung capacity, off-the-chart calcium levels, resistance to radiation. I wouldn't be surprised if operations like these had been going on since before Humanity made First Contact."

"Then how do you explain her dried blood - disappearing?" Said Liara in confusion as she stroked Aran's forearm. Karin strove for a reasonable answer but couldn't deliver one, T'Soni pressed down slightly on the Commander's limb, instead of the slight discolouration that occurred on living flesh when blood vessels were pushed away from the surface of the skin. Aran's pearlescent, unmarred hide displayed a veiny web of white scars that faded away once Liara removed the pressure of her hand.

"By the Goddess!" She showed Karin what she had just witnessed, another anomaly that the Normandy's physician was helpless to explain but from which she derived an interesting facet of their CO's past as she checked other sites of her body for similar scars.

"No-one could have lived for only twenty nine years and accrued this much damage without being a medical miracle; a walking corpse."

"Meaning?"

"That it makes her age impossible to determine, she could be older than me, older than you..."

* * *

><p>Later that morning, Samus got up unsteadily, unhooking the machines and untwining herself from her bed spread. A ravenous appetite reared its head as she pulled on the fresh set of clothes Chakwas had left for her in a sluggish manner. Her usual tomboyish style was replete with loose black jeans and another Alliance branded muscle shirt.<p>

Taking her recovery into her own hands, she drew out a long concealed epee-pen from her zero suit's dimensional pocket. It was filled with concentrated medi gel. In the centre of of the fluid, lay a single golden, fluxing amoeba that resembled a cartoon atom configuration. The accumulated particles of the one and only, last remaining X Parasite in the Universe.

Many years ago, Aran had worked to extract the supremely dangerous organism from her own system, piecemeal. Aware of the shape-shifting and replication wonders it could work on biological material outside of her control. Her own Universe's derivatives of a 'wonder drug' had not met her expectations: Serelyn multiplied phagocytes in the bloodstream to massive levels in order to promote healing, a process that was immediately halted when the X took hold. Older balms like Kolto and Bacta were fungal in nature and as such would have been similarly overridden by the X.

But medi gel, now that could be employed with the X Parasite to fashion a new medicine, one that could react with the technically illegal, organic substance and cause rapid tissue regeneration in the host. The concoction was a mixture of chemicals, some of Aran's own creation, that could bond to the system and ensure stability with the smallest doses; but first. The trial run.

The X could no longer harm Samus now that she was creation's last Metroid, but an elixir of this potency would cause _extreme_ nerve pain, of the variety that even she was not safe from. The former assassin was counting on this, it would prove her theories on the bonding process correct, then she could get to work in mass-producing the bio plasmic agent for commercial use.

Raising her bare right foot to ear height in a display of astonishing flexibility, she injected a few milligrams of the single sample she possessed; in the artery between her big toe. Then she jabbed the needle into her carotid artery for maximum circulation of the two miniscule doses.

It was a precaution that proved to pay off, the dilution of the agent was not enough. Aran's back arched in pain and a rictus contorted her face as she experienced agony of the inescapable kind that she had not felt since the Corruption War and the incident on SR-388.

Cords stood out in her neck as tremors wracked her frame, the part of her very being that was Metroid in nature absorbing and assimilating the life form it had been engineered to destroy. An animal sound escaped her, low and miserable. But underneath, a grimace of triumph shone forth. She could sense the 'upgrade' becoming part of her in a way that had failed her on Omega. When the seizure halted, she felt like a billion credits, better even!

There was only one way to prove that her simulations were correct. She applied a reave spark to her finger tip and traced a one inch gouge through her forearm, ignoring the burning flesh. She revolved her arm around with scientific curiosity; it began to seal up almost instantaneously. Within ten seconds, there was not a mark left to signify the tissue had ever been cut.

Finally, Samus picked up a measured trauma dose of the drug, disabled the safety caps, lengthened the syringe, rolled up her shirt and applied 500 cc's of medi gel straight into her heart. Such a measure would be fatal for an ordinary Human and likely render even her unconscious.

To Aran's gratification, she did not even feel a whisper of the tremors that had plagued her in the past. A reaction that had caused her to be very conservative about taking the medical substance beforehand.

Hopping up youthfully, the N7 secreted the solution away and sat at Chakwas's desk; going through paperwork on her un-intergrated Savant omni tool, which had been left in the sick bay along with all her re-acquired articles.

After some productive ministerial work, Liara entered the bay to inform her the crew was assembled in the mess to see her emerge for communal breakfast. Eager not to disappoint, Samus allowed Liara to help her put on her dark navy, full-sleeved ballistic jacket and tie up her white and black WarHawk trainers; before she insisted on escorting the huntress to the door while supporting her as if she believed the Commander was on the verge of falling down. Aran decided to put on an amusing show for the crew; in an effort to restore morale after how close Haliat had managed to take out the whole team.

Everyone quietened in the mess after an ominous clearing of the throat by Garrus as Aran stepped forth, limping and crooked slightly, as if in great pain. Liara let her stand unaided and the Commander straightened up to look at each and every crew member in turn.

From the forefront of the small assembly, Wrex brought both his palms together in a deep, booming, singular clap that reverberated around the room. Once he'd caught everyone's attention, he commenced a second, then a third. Gradually rising in tempo like the sound of great wings beating, the crew of the Normandy began to join him in applause, eventually breaking out into a full blown cheers as the Commander offered a glad expression that was the closest to a smile as she could achieve considering the experiences she'd had.

Stepping forward, Samus did so cautiously, limping. The crew quietened and watched her intently as their Commander seemed to be irreparably hurt. She stopped a few feet away, swaying unsteadily, then slowly began to pitch, her heels leaving the ground. The crew gasped as she started to fall on her face.

Only for her to tuck and spring into a fluid and powerful handspring, followed by an aerial flip that brought her up in a T-figure to bow to her team. The ovation that greeted her nearly blew the ceiling off the mess as the crew gathered round, picking her up on their shoulders; such was their surprise and adoration.

Wrex was one of Aran's bearers and as he saw the love that the Normandy gave their leader. He was filled with two conflicting emotions, the first was unmistakeable pride in his choice to follow her, but the other was a bubbling sense of, to his shame, fear. He realised he was actually _afraid_ of Shepard_. _She was a fearsome woman in strength, endurance and intellect. Being near her, Wrex felt somewhat diminished, as if whatever he'd managed to accomplish in his life was as dust.

As the Commander sat down for a long awaited meal, she found herself shaking hands with just about every crew member. Pressly and Tali'Zorah got to sit on either side of her at the table; much to the former's distaste. He regaled her with the maiden voyage of his first ship posting, aboard the _SSV Agincourt_. One of the first cruisers to reach Elysium and lift the siege during the Blitz, Haliat's enmity towards Shepard fascinated him, it was something straight out of the holo vids. A man consumed with revenge, planning a series of elaborate traps to ensnare his nemesis. Yet in spite of all the odds, the protagonist thwarted him!

Tali on the other hand, like most of the crew, bombarded Samus with questions on her health, worried that the damage was more extensive than she was letting on. Aran put their fears to rest amicably, she'd had worse in the past.

"I'm telling you, Commander." Hollered Joker across the table, "they'll be wanting film rights once you complete your memoirs!"

"Heaven forbid," she replied, "fame is an unwieldy device, give me infamy any day of the week. And what's your interest? Are you going to direct?"

He laughed, "apart from a cushy chair, that gig's out for me. Too much co-ordination with the other departments."

"Give you a radio and a bed-pan and you'll be set!" Countered Ashley with unmistakeable mirth.

"Yeah well - at least I don't get us to park in a colony full of mutant zombies, or a planet inhabited by a psychotic Batarian and his pirate band...Just putting that one out there, Commander."

"And people wonder why you're nick-named Joker," Tali clarified for all to hear.

"It's a lot easier to say than 'Alliance Flight Lieutenant, Jeff Moreau. Plus I love to make little children laugh..."

The good-natured babble died down at Joker's statement, everyone looking at him with a slightly apprehensive eye.

"What?"

* * *

><p>Later that day, Garrus and Wrex stood in the hold, both were leaning against the support struts on either side of the vehicle channel path, arms crossed. Ready for a battle of epic proportions!<p>

"In my C-Sec days, I disarmed a punk by shooting the pistol he was holding, out of his hands, at a hundred yards, top that."

"Ppphhh, you call that an achievement, I once took out a Blackwatch squad, _unarmed_."

"For a biotic Krogan I should hope so, let's see...I defeated a Shafah on Palaven with a single shot."

"Big deal, we've still got fauna on Tuchanka which makes Shafahs look like bird-dogs. A Harvester once swallowed me whole, I crawled back up its gullet and tore out its heart with a Graal spike thrower. This was while it was flying, mind you."

"Almost impressive, Wrex. I'm glad we're getting along now, it's better than I'd hoped. For a Krogan, you've proven my pre-conceptions wrong."

"Right, because you Turians, hell, every other species in the Galaxy; has a wide-ranging difference in culture and attitudes. But all Krogan. They think - Exactly - Alike."

"Come on Wrex, that's not fair," the Turian argued as the Battlemaster began to stomp away. He looked back over his shoulder.

"Life_ isn't_ fair, you should stay here on the ship, kid. You might be in danger of_ learning_ something out there."

"Well, if you think I'm naive, maybe you could - teach - me." He trailed off at the look Wrex was giving him. But now the Krogan's curiosity was really piqued, he lumbered back over to the former police officer and enveloped him in his shadow, staring at him. Then he threw an arm around his shoulder and pinned him to his side like he was an old chum. Garrus just managed to extricate himself before he suffocated.

"Okay... We'll start with a little story I like to tell -"

* * *

><p>Aran had just got off the horn with Udina, Anderson and Hackett. Relating the entire story of the Agebinium incident and the successful acquisition of the demo nuke. She was in the process of reiterating the mission report to two Spectre colleagues over the secure Comm. relay. A Salarian agent called Jondum Bau and an Asari agent named Kerina J'awos.<p>

Unlike J'awos, who was a former Justicar and a lethal combatant. Bau was something of a paradox among his colleagues, his hacking skills were next to none, except for Aran, but he was practically useless in combat. Having relied on his family's high standing with the other Dalatrasses and the patronage of Councillor Valern to make it into the Spectres. A fact that caused many in the organisation to look down on him; and the reason why he was always partnered with a more martially experienced agent in the field.

"Incredible! It must have been quite traumatic!" Quick-fired the speedily-spoken Bau, "Haliat's remaining turf was avoided by even Aria T'loak due to his cruel reputation. But you dealt with him admirably!" Samus liked Bau, even though he was a longer serving agent, having been in the Spectres for five years, he recognised her seniority in many areas and had become a trusted contact in her hunt for Saren.

"I concur," voiced the slim-hipped, purple skinned Asari; who wore light armour and black tattoos. "Not many of us could have gotten out of that situation alive."

"Thank you, agent J'awos, agent Bau. But on to your mission. What did you find on Nodacrux?"

"A mystery, a few Thorian Creepers that you mentioned in your Feros report were present. They went down easily enough. I was even able to arrest a Dr. Ross, the project chief. She's being seen to by agent Vesuvius, he'll get a testimony we can use against Exo-geni."

"And what about Cerberus?" Bau had an answer ready for her.

"Their servers were flashed but we managed to recover some encrypted data and run it through my series of software programs made of heuristic algorithms. That is to say - they have the ability to -"

"I know what a heuristic algorithm is, Bau. Please get to the point."

"Of course, forgive me. Our programmers managed to break most of the code, we ran it through the intelligence networks to be sure and what we got - was a reference to a _Project Keres_."

_"The Greek goddess of violent death, the Illusive Man is more_ _maniacal than I gave him credit for." _Aran thought silently. She related the mythological metaphor for travel and change, perdition and mutation that this particular cell must be undertaking. J'awos and Bau agreed and informed her of a similar 'experiment' on Planet Chasca, in the Matano system. That was investigated under Aran's directive by agent's Taihurn and Mathias, thanks to the leads Jeong had provided them.

"It was an atrocity, from what Hayden reported in his file," said Kerina in a harsh tone. "Men, women and children were all converted into Husks by those dragon teeth devices found on Eden Prime."

"Which were recovered by the Alliance," Bau reminded both women. Samus ground her teeth in anger.

"So Cerberus is actively employing Alliance protocols and their moles within the M.I.C. to further these, what, super soldier programs? What other data would they need from these - death camps!"

"From what we could gather, yes. Cerberus is actively engaged in the Biological Organic Weapon trade, among acts of a less serious medical nature; the siphoning off of supplies from Citadel clinics for one thing." Finished the Asari Spectre contemplatively.

"No doubt connected to these experiments in the Verge," added Bau.

"Interesting, I'm headed for the Citadel now. I'll keep all of you updated on any developments, but I'm going to confer with David Anderson on the matter. I've heard certain members of the Admiralty have been investigating Cerberus since 81' and we'll need just as many eyes in just as many corners to deal with that madman and his dog."

"Until we meet again, agent Shepard." Bau made the sign of the legion, as did Aran and J'awos.

"May Athame watch over you, Commander."

"And may your enemies fall before you," replied Samus to both her comrades in their respective languages, before terminating the call.

* * *

><p>The Citadel stood as a testament to inter-species co-operation but it was here that Aran would begin to track the first of the many: 'survivalist procedures' carried out by the terrorist group's Keres Cell; straight to their source.<p>

After reaching the Presidium promenade via air taxi, Samus was displeased to see another crowd of reporters and their camera crews. There were journalists from CNN, the Scott Examiner, GBC, Constant Times and Westurland News; to name a few.

The retired bounty hunter caught the eye of the press with her unique fashion sense, the stylish fasteners on her sleeve cuffs, collar and beneath her breasts gave the dark green outfit a soft but strictly military feel, black leggings and knee-high suede boots gave it a feminine edge without appearing vain or self-conscious. Ashley and Kaidan flanked her, wearing their own civvies - which were much more casually tailored than their Commander's.

Aran simply walked through the mass of vultures, ignoring their shouts and jumbled questions on her latest mission and how she felt about being Humanity's representative. Williams and Alenko did their best to push the press of bodies back, wincing as shutter flashes from omni cameras pained their eyes.

Samus was not as bothered, a great deal had been discovered since she'd arrived three days ago. The first had been Dr. Michel being blackmailed by a Cerberus agent to hand over free medical supplies. With Garrus, she had made contact with the agent under the cover of making the transaction.

* * *

><p><em>Two days ago...<em>

_"What?" Bawled the tan, brown crested Krogan as Samus turned to face him in front of Morlan's storefront. "I was told I'd be meeting the Doc' here!"_

_"Well you're dealing with me now, oh, and my friend here." The reptile spun his head, to be met with the muzzle of Garrus's Seraphim pressing against his thick neck. "Now that I've got your undivided attention; who do you work for?"_

_"Screw yo - Ugh!" Vakarian had pistol whipped him to his knees, the Krogan blinked up stupidly as Aran leveled her own gun into his face._

_"Who." It was a demand more than a question._

_"Banes, Armistan Banes. Guess you already know who our sponsor is..."_

_"I'll know more than that before today is out, cuff him Garrus." She struck the Krogan with the rods of her three-fingered spear hand, to the nerve bundle behind his right inner ear. Such was the kinetic power transfer that it caused a massive air bubble between his brain and his secondary conductive system. Knocking him out for a good hour._

_"Drop the gun, lady! Drop the gun!" Cried a rookie Human C-Sec cop, wielding his own piece as if his life depended on it._

_"Relax, boy. This is an arrest."_

_"I said, drop it!" Samus took no notice and helped Garrus restrain the unconscious tub of lard that was their first concrete link to Cerberus._

_"Freeze!"_

_"I'm a Spectre you idiot!" She retorted angrily, showing the simpleton the credentials on her omni tool. "My name is Commander Aran Shepard; and this man is under arrest."_

_The young'un's eyes widened until they were on the verge of popping out of his head, before he hastily dropped his firearm and apologised profusely._

_"Everyone's heard of you, but, uh, I didn't know it was you - sorry - Commander," he ended with a weak, weedy smile as Samus hurled the Krogan up and over her shoulders in a fireman's carry._

* * *

><p>Through the name of Banes, the hunter had then checked with both Captain Anderson and Rear Admiral Kahoku, revealing that Armistan's corpse had been found in a crippled vessel, left adrift in the Sparta system. And that the marine unit sent to sweep the habitable planet of Edolus - hadn't reported back for over a week.<p>

Cerberus was planning something big within the depths of the Attican Traverse, something that was important enough to cut loose any extenuating operatives; those that weren't essential to the project, and throw them to the sharks.

In the meantime, Samus was on her way to the Spectre offices within the Citadel Tower to coordinate more investigations into Cerberus holdings. But as she reached the stairs that would take her and her accomplices into the main lobby, her way was barred by a grinning, hook-nosed reporter in a purple, red and yellow striped dress that made her look like a gaudy sweet wrapper. Her brown hair was lank and her prominent Arab features were set in an atavistic smile. Samus was slightly leery of this slandering woman, having been warned about her by Emily but thought it bad manners to just barge past her. So she pulled up and waited for her to speak.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westurland News," she introduced herself brightly. "Do you have a moment to answer a few questions for our viewers?" Jilani phrased her request innocently enough, but underneath was the warning that if she refused, the public would have something to say about it.

Already irritated that she was being dictated to by this mewling quim, Samus put on her best gravitas-laden speaking voice, and considering this was Samus freaking Aran, that was a _great deal_ of gravitas.

"What sort of questions?"

"People back home have heard a lot of wild stories about you, Commander. I can give you the chance to set the record straight. What do you say?"

"So long as _you _understand that I may not be able to answer all questions."

"I'm sure _our viewers_, will understand." Jilani assured her sweetly, Aran resisted the stunningly acute urge to punch her in the face. The reporter fiddled with her omni tool and soon enough her camera drone lit up to signify it was recording live, the other reporters quietened down as the interview got underway.

"I'm here live, from the steps of the Citadel Tower, with an exclusive interview with Commander Shepard, the first Human Spectre. Now Commander, Humanity has been trying to get the respect of the Galactic community for twenty six years, with that in mind, what are your feelings on this new position as one of the Galaxy's top intelligence operatives?"

She stretched out her omni microphone to pick up Aran's voice, who was smiling inside, it was quite obvious that this hag would be easily dealt with, a smear job was an annoying but not unexpected attack, one she had dealt with many times before.

"It's a great honour to join such prestigious ranks. But at all times I remind myself, it's just another line of duty."

"Some have said your appointment is the Citadel: 'throwing Humans a bone.' Have you encountered any situation where the Council asked you to place their needs before the needs of Earth?"

Aran's next words were evidently deprecating for even Jilani's limited brain power:

"I think they know not to ask me to work against my own people." She said condescendingly, drawing snorts of appreciation from the other reporters behind her.

Jilani looked murderous but covered it quickly with another poison barbed question.

"I think our viewers will be glad to hear that, Commander. You've been given command of an advanced Human warship for your mission, is there anything you'd like to say about it?"

"Actually, the Normandy was co-developed by Turian and Human engineers, its design incorporates many innovations. All of which; are classified."

"So, the Turians have knowledge of the Normandy that is being kept secret from the Alliance public? Do you think it was appropriate to hand Earth's most advanced warship over to the Citadel?" The loaded questions were really beginning to irritate Samus, to the point where she was tempted to signal the guards within the Tower's lobby to arrest the bitch for obstructing an agent of the Council. Then she saw a better solution, one that would ensure an embarrassing spectacle from the toad woman and make her look like a national hero in comparison, not that she wasn't already.

"Miss al-Jilani, I may no longer wear the Alliance uniform but I've never abandoned my tags or my oath of service. The commission of the SR-1 Systems Alliance Space Vehicle, _belongs_ to the people of Earth, and if you think otherwise, I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken."

"No offence intended, Commander." Jilani lied through her teeth, "I'm sure you have to follow the orders of your superiors. Of course, now your _superiors_ are _aliens_..."

The downright perfidious nature of this woman caused Aran to clench her right fist, rounded, blunt nails digging into her palm. "I've had enough of your mendacious allegations! I don't have the time to justify myself to your viewers, I have a Galaxy to protect, excuse me."

The bitch looked as if she'd been slapped in the face but she couldn't say anymore, not with the motley crowd of reporters rearing up for another barrage of questions, all the while, Samus was leaving them behind.

"Is it true you're hunting a rogue agent?"

"What can you say about the failure of the colony on Feros?"

"Does this suit make me look fat?"

"Christ!" Gasped Ash, "I'm glad we got out of that in one piece, what is the Council thinking? Letting that lot ambush us right on the steps where they like to look down on all us little folk."

"You're on the money, Chief," agreed Kaidan. "There's writing on the wall, but no-one wants to read it. You'd think a party as powerful and as well-established as the Council could get us some back-up with the Prothean discoveries we've made!"

"An old fashioned view, LT." Samus argued easily, " with everything we've dumped in their laps, they're slow to step up, overwhelmed even. And that's why they created the Spectres, I'm here to petition some heavy support..."

* * *

><p>"You're kidding me," stated Aran flatly, "one infiltration regiment?" She asked Bau again.<p>

"It's the best I could do, Shepard. They'll be scouring the Terminus within the week, the Captain is a man I'm sure you'll get on with. And they're one of the finest corps in the STG."

"Forgive me, Bau. The strain of the mission is getting to me, they'll do perfectly."

"Better than that, we've determined that your people's marines were definitely last posted on Edolus, but they've dropped completely out of contact. You'll need to mount an investigation, we can be fairly certain that they're in terrorist hands."

"So why don't you use your regular army? What do you need us for?" Asked Samus acidly, annoyed that there were so many distractions from her ultimate aim. Bau averted his bulbous orbs nervously and rubbed his chin in discomfort.

"Because some damn fool accused you of being the best!" Snapped a gravelly voice from a dimly lit office located behind Samus, she craned her head slightly to notice a massive bull Krogan, he was sitting in a specially made chair to accommodate his bulk, his ankle placed languidly over his left knee. He wore a loose shirt and slacks that revealed his mammoth forearms and his hide and crest were a deep chocolate brown, his eyes were violet.

Samus turned fully and walked closer to the man in question, not believing her eyes; he gave a short grunt of mirth as he rose from his seat and stepped in to the light.

"Gabrilan!" Samus shouted with a mixture of surprise and exuberance, recognising the huge Krogan whom she'd fought with alongside fellow soldier Septimus Oraka against the Krogan insurgency in 78'. Last she'd heard, her old war buddy had been on the DMZ Oversight Committee. A cover it would seem.

Nakmor Gabrilan smiled broadly as Samus closed the gap with four short strides, he swaggered in turn, bringing up his right hand.

"You - son of a - bitch!" Aran laughed, clapping her own right palm into his solid grip in a warrior's handshake. Both arms tensing as they applied a standing arm wrestle, between them they had more bulging veins and muscle mass than a Yahg weightlifter.

Gabrilan's larger biceps proved fruitless as he tried to bend the hunter's arm sideways, visibly shaking from the effort. Samus glanced at her immobile appendage, unmoving against even the Krogan's might.

"What's the matter?" She posited winningly, "the Council got you pushing too many pencils? Huh?" Gabrilan winced as she started applying some force of her own, beads of sweat began to form on his brow and he gasped visibly three times as she took him down three notches.

"Had enough?" She sang.

"Make it easy on yourself, Shepard." He gasped and exhaled, straining. But he was losing fast and as his whole arm began to quake while Aran's grin grew wider, he gave up.

"Okay, okay, okay!" Gabrilan guffawed, slapping her on the shoulder in a gesture of peace and friendship.

"So you _did_ know when to quit?"

"Damn good to see you, Shepard." He now shook her hand warmly.

"What is this fucking tie business?" She wrung the loosely worn, knitted accoutrement up before his eyes, jesting.

"Oh, come on forget about the tie, lady." Placing an arm around her shoulder. "I heard about that little job you pulled up in the Voyager Cluster, impressive stuff."

"And you? What have you been up to all this time, you old dinosaur, you!"

"Well, becoming the first Krogan Spectre for one thing, _undercover_, of course."

"Funny, I seem to be meeting far too many of that sort recently..."

* * *

><p><em>One day ago...<em>

_Aran was sitting on a bench in the Presidium park, keenly aware that the deadline with Anderson was fast approaching. She looked again at all the people in the park, instinct warning her not to move until she had detected the anomaly. Diagonally across from her was a bearded man sitting forward, elbows on knees, hands together.  
><em>

_Samus, herself a chameleon, an expert in disguise, knew the methodologies of keeping hidden. This man was employing them. Knowing this, she rose and slowly, deliberately - crossed the park and sat down beside the man, whose face she now saw had a distinctly Asian cast to it. To his credit, the man did not give a start or display any overt indication of surprise.  
><em>

_"Hello, Leng." She said quietly.  
><em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next time, Leng, Verner and Dr. T'Soni pursue our heroine, all for their different ends, but only one will succeed! The Avatar of General Malkovich assembles his forces, while Saren's machinations reach beyond the Terminus and into Alliance territory... Same Metroid time! Same Metroid channel! Until then, adios! _  
><em>**


	25. The Crooked Path we Tread

**A/N: It's time for the beginning of the end! The third and final act of ME's events starts off with secrets revealed...Once again, I can't thank everyone enough for your support, I hope to start writing the second volume as soon as I've finished the first. And it's all thanks to your glowing response that I feel the desire, no, the NEED! To continue, so thank you to all; for giving me that.  
><strong>

"_If you want to make enemies, try to change something." _

_(Adam Jensen)_

_"Do you even know _why_ you're supposed to kill me? Look at us - look at what they make you give."_

_(David Webb)  
><em>

**The Crooked Path we Tread**

_Twenty two Galactic Standard Hours ago...**  
><strong>_

The man who was known to a select few as Cerberus's finest wet-work operative, looked straight ahead. Giving no sign at all that he had heard what Aran had said. However, Leng had counted on trailing Shepard to a more secluded area for this surprise visit, courtesy of the Man's direct orders, he cursed and admired her presence of mind inwardly; abruptly disoriented from his purpose.

This was the woman who had beaten him, who could have killed him at her leisure on Predon. How had she seen through his disguise when he had given the slip to every C-Sec agent and undercover Spectre in the area? He felt a momentary chill run through him. What _kind_ of woman could do that?

He knew there was only one way to find out. For that was his mission, reconnaissance. Experience told him that when you are up against a formidable foe the only way to get a true measure of them was to do the last thing they would expect. Still, for a moment, he hesitated. He'd never been up against an antagonist like this. He understood that he had crossed over into unknown territory.

For Aran's part, she knew that one of the best methods of keeping hidden was to change your gait, especially if one was trying to hide from a professional. An amateur might pick up superficial aspects, such as clothes and eye colour: (Leng was wearing coloured contact lenses to cover his usual, steely grey irises.) But to a trained agent the way you moved and walked was as individual as a fingerprint.

And if there was one thing that Samus knew about Kai Leng, was that the way he took every step, hell, the way he _sat_. Was as if he was on high alert, a consummate stalker of Human and alien prey, alike. In comparison, she had one leg draped over the other and her hand touching the bench's arm rest, the other in her lap, cool as ice. She followed his eye-line. A young couple were kissing on a nearby bench.

"Such a beatific scene of domestic bliss." There was an acid edge to his voice. "I wonder if the boy knows that at a moment's notice, his partner could abandon him."

Samus had an odd reaction to hearing her old comrade's voice in this setting. It was as if he had moved out of the shadows to fully inhabit the world of those around him.

"Hmph, almost everyone at N School and the Villa had a crush on me, that I thought you were any different was an overly optimistic assessment it seems." She paused. "I don't want to speak to your boss, I very much doubt you've come to kill me."

"He's, what, sixteen, I would say. Far too young to understand the nature of life, far too young to fathom why his partner would leave."

Aran shook her head. The conversation was not proceeding as she had intended. "And you _are_ that enlightened? What makes you think that, anyway? You left the unit when you attacked Meer. I stood up for you, the only reason you weren't gunned down or court-martialed on the spot was because of _my_ words and actions. If you'd been on Elysium you would have died. I've saved your life _twice_ now; and this is how you repay me? By throwing your lot in with Cerberus?"

"Those are all interesting questions, from a woman who never tried to free me from an Alliance maximum security centre. Who went off to then play tonsil tennis with a Turian Spectre." He seethed.

Samus felt outrage and anger swirl inside her but it was the anger that she allowed to the surface. "You see, this is the kind of emotional crap that cost you your place in the ICA, Leng. I won't even bother to ask how you know so much about me; Nihlus and I, for _two years_, we lived and died together, you couldn't _possibly_ understand."

"Oh, I do, in those five months we were together, it was a_ lifetime_ for me, a lifetime for people like us."

The hint of a smile curled the edges of the other's lips, as if she had scored a victory in dragging Leng across an invisible barrier.

"I can't believe I ever took you for a_ man_, I sent you offers to join my organization but you probably never bothered to open them you were that consumed with childish jealousy."

Leng felt as if he'd been beaten senseless. There was an inchoate roaring in his ears, his next words came out in a strangled voice. "And I used to revere you! You've turned your back on everything we stood for, become just another - _xenophile_! I followed you into war –_ Twice_! But I will _not_ follow you now."

He visibly collected himself. Though he had no intention of showing it, what she had said had shook him. Up until a moment ago, he'd had no idea he'd revealed so much of himself to her. He felt ashamed and resentful that she'd been able to get so far under his skin without him being aware of it.

"Once upon a time," began Samus in a projected whisper, "we were close. I should have seen you for what you were then, I was a fool to think you could change. _Therefore_, it seems both then, and now, that we truly are a mystery to one another."

A maddening smile played around Kai Leng's mouth. Aran felt a prickling of the short hairs at the nape of her neck, sensing that the fellow N7 would soon make a move.

"Really," she scoffed, running her tongue over her lower teeth in an expression of humour and disdain. "Even you wouldn't be _stupid enough_ to try and harm me in this public place."

"Keep telling yourself that. The fact is, I_ could_ kill you now, even here." Leng said with a great deal of venom. His smile had vanished as quickly as a cloud changes its shape, and there was a small tremor in the smooth bronze column of his neck, as if some fury, long held in check, had briefly escaped to the surface.

Samus had noticed his trump card before she had sat down. "I've no doubt you'd _try_. While I _should_ kill you now." She growled in return. "But such extreme action would expose me to the pair of Cerberus agents who entered the park from the north entrance ten minutes ago."

Leng wasn't phased, he rose and looked down at Aran for a moment. "Well then, I believe it's time we left in our present company. This is a simple situation. Come with me or be taken."

Aran got up and, walking side by side with Leng, went out of the park. Leng was between the huntress and his compatriots, and he took a route that would keep him in that position, so as not to alert any patrolmen. Samus was impressed with the man's expertise as well as his thinking in extreme situations.

"Last chance, old friend. You can leave now, leave Cerberus. Refuse, and I'll come after you the _less kind_ _way_." Leng did not answer, they had entered a stream of pedestrians and were soon lost within the flow.

"The Man want's to talk to you about Project Keres, we've set up a secure meeting place, we can help each other, you may not want to believe it, but we're on the same side."

"Why is it that you people suffer from the same tireless malediction. Your _aims_ don't make you terrorists, your_ methods_ do. Thinking you can change the Universe with poison and fear; without even consulting the hearts and minds of the people you claim to protect. Zàijiàn, _qíngrén_. {See you later,_ lover._}"

Leng tried to drown out her insidious lecture and cruel taunts, instead memorising the faces of the four on-duty C-Sec officers in this area of the Presidium. He steered clear of the first two and was on the lookout for the others, because at this crucial junction when he was leading his target to a place of his choosing, he did not want any intrusion.

Sure enough, up ahead in the crowd, he spotted them with his predator's eye. They were in standard formation, one on either side of the street, heading directly towards them. He turned to Aran to alert her, only to find that he was alone in the throng. Aran had vanished into thin air.

* * *

><p><em>The present...<em>

"Hell of a story, Shepard," said Nakmor Gabrilan, the first Krogan Spectre and colleague of Samus Aran sat together at a circular table in the VIP section of the _Pulsar_ night-club, along with a hearty Urdnot Wrex and fellow Turian's Hayden Maithas and Garrus Vakarian nearby, they were at their own table, keeping a watchful vigil on any occupants that came too near.

Gabrilan leaned forward conspiratorially, "though I bet that's not where this tale ended, eh?"

"You would be correct, Leng didn't leave the station, poor fool."

"I know this assassin," Wrex inputted, "isn't it true he killed one of my kind with a knife?"

"The_ knife_ in question, once belonged to me," replied Samus. "It's a _foot long _standard issue commando blade, though made of custom materials. I believe he imitated a technique of mine, goring anyone through the eye up to the hilt is a sure-fire way of ensuring instant death. Even for a Krogan. That or the plate, hate to break it to you guys but your masculine displays of superiority are only marginally stronger than bone - and the connecting ridge? Easy as piercing _leather_."

Both Krogan felt their stomachs drop slightly as Samus casually discussed the best way to skin and butcher a Krogan, they hadn't realised they were half that vulnerable and it was a new experience to note the weaknesses that they shared between all organic races.

At that moment, the barman personally took the drink orders of his illustrious clientele.

"One Quad Kicker, with an extra serving of 100% proof Tuchankan ryncol, Human," grunted Wrex

"It'll be a Molrag Gut Punch for me. With a slice of lime." Informed Gabrilan.

"A Golden Phoenix Sling, on the rocks, thank you, Mr. Syzlack." Samus finished for the trio, the pair that made up their Turian security cordon were already enjoying pre-bought Tupari ciders.

Once their cocktails had arrived and they began to sip the cool alcoholic beverages, Aran decided to continue the story of her cat and mouse chase with Kai Leng.

* * *

><p><em>Seventeen Galactic Standard Hours ago...<br>_

" - to think that such a transparent ploy would work on her, Leng." Grumbled one of the five anonymous mercs that accompanied the Cerberus assassin. The six men were all lounging around the open-space apartment along the Presidium's upper balconies, Cerberus knew how to provide good safe houses, it was early morning, the dead of night, you wouldn't know it was simulated time on a space station. _  
><em>

"Shut up, Hammil!" Spat Leng, violently. "This is Aran - freaking - Shepard we're dealing with here, I was _counting_ on my past history to make her more receptive to my offer."

"Look where _that_ got us," complained Krauser, a German thug with a light accent. "I hope this location is secure, she's too dangerous to be brought in, we _all_ see it, why can't you?"

"If I hear another word from any other man in this room... I start taking eye balls," threatened Leng, causing his boorish fellows to promptly shut up and get back to their card game. Leng paced around the large floor space in frustration, the secondary objective of his mission a stunning failure and if the primary followed suit - then he could expect little mercy from the Illusive Man. Even with his exemplary track record.

There was a sudden rush of darkness as the illumination in the flat was extinguished. Someone had cut the circuit breaker.

"What the fuck!" Cried Hammil in girlish fright, darkness not being something they had come prepared for, every man unhooked a pistol from their belts or the waistbands of their trousers, Leng revolved on the spot, peering into every corner as he ran a hand through his longer locks in a gesture of dread. Not even bothering to reach for his .32 calibre, Kassa-manufactured, Razer handgun.

"She's here," he said in a tone of awe, no-one he knew could isolate a secure Prothean electrical system, only Keepers had that authority, it seemed that the rumours about Aran were true. Now he just had to survive this little confrontation in order to complete the mission...

"Who?"

"Who do you _think_, you imbeciles! Spread out!"

Beams of light from pistol-mounted flashlights danced around the room, trying to catch a hint of the intruder, Leng finally drew his gun and moved to the archaic hinged door that led out of the apartment, the locks were still engaged, the Illusive Man wanted what Aran had, and Leng would be damned if he let her take him down as easily as she had on Predon.

He was checking the alarm system, his men sweeping their torches over the darkened balcony, not a sound.

Then an animal noise shattered the forced calm, causing them to flinch. It was a chirping, cricket-like call, that flitted through their ears, something insubstantial, something, _alien_.

"The things they say about her," whimpered an African European merc. "Can she really drain people of life with just a touch?"

"I heard she can disappear."

Leng made a guttural sound in the back of his throat, curt and dismissive. He had accumulated too much regard for Aran Shepard's skill in vanishing to have wasted time trying to find her in the swirling mass of people on Tayseri Ward, now she was prowling his hunting grounds...

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" Leng backed into a wall and began to inch around the corner to the kitchen area of the apartment, his men jumping at their own shadows, he was on the verge of rounding his cover when a sharp click of a pulled hammer stopped him in his tracks, he whirled around, nothing!

Aran sprang from behind her own hiding place just as he had turned away from her thrown, vocal distraction. Leveling her HMW Mk. X at the side of his head.

"You move, you die."

"Shepard," implored Leng, raising his hands slowly. His men had spun to the disturbance, revealing Aran in her usual casual spy gear, cargo pants, black running shoes and a matching short overcoat, worn over a dark grey thin-sulate shirt and her navy ballistic jacket, her golden hair was tied in a shorter pony tail knot.

"Guns down," she warned to all present, Leng ejected the ammunition block and let the Razer drop from passive hands, his men did likewise though not without reservation.

"Now. The Man's not stupid enough to send agents who are in the loop right into my welcoming arms. None of you are worth anything to me alive, so you guys can convey a message to your boss." She holstered her gun in her shoulder holster and faced Leng as he turned slowly towards her, his men began to creep around the pair, or else reach for hidden melee weapons in their pockets.

"You've made a critical mistake, Aran." Leng shook his head sadly, "you can't stop every cell, it's too big, even for you."

"If I don't like your plan. It will end." She said simply.

"_Fascinating_... You once told me that your foster parents were peaceful to the point of indolence. Yet you're a completely different animal. Would you declare war - on your own kind?" seethed Leng, the affirmation of her betrayal slugging him in the chest like a physical blow.

"Oh... I'm so old now. I used to have so - much - _mercy_. You get one warning. That was it."

At that moment, one of the goons had snuck up on Aran, flipped a heavy glass bottle to a more practical hammer grip, and walloped her around the back of the skull. it shattered in his grasp, leaving the broken stem in his hand, Aran checked her shoulder, eying him as an eagle would a worm. The blow had had no effect whatsoever.

In one smooth, fluid motion, she had seized the terrified merc by the throat, shaking the large man as if he were a water rat, then pulled her arm back and sent him hurling through the air at speed; to indent the metal wall with a meaty crunch.

Leng and Hammil attacked her in unison, the Cerberus assassin bringing out Aran's old combat blade from a concealed chest-sheath, while the other merc palmed a wicked gimlet knife, dripping with a brown fluid, krait venom. Aran re-directed Leng's enthusiastic lunge past her neck, both men moved like they were swimming in honey to her perception. Leng was left wide open as the hunter jabbed her thumb into the cricoid cartilage of his lower larynx. Blood immediately filled Leng's throat, choking him, draining him of strength even as Aran tripped him and sent him skidding to the floor, drowning, scrabbling.

Hammil fared no better, his blow descrying a sweeping arc, intended to cut across Aran's abdomen. She palmed the blow inside her guard, creating circular momentum, allowing it to revolve her own body perpendicular to his and simultaneously dodge a swung elctro-baton. Her hamstring came up in a back hook-kick and clamped around the base of his neck, driving him to the floor. Hammil's scream died in his throat as Aran compound fractured his scapula, pelvis and hip socket with an elbow, punch, knee stomp combination. His heart raced beyond 250 bpm, then flat-lined as the sudden and extreme ventricular tachycardia caused him to undergo myocardial infarction.

Aran rolled off the dead merc, big black boy was suckered as she slid between his legs like a Tango dancer, holding both his wrists. Her form spun onto his back feet first and he was sent through a carousel motion as she continued her flip while braced into him, his arms flailing as he pin-wheeled, helpless against the physical forces that picked him up and dashed his brains out when he struck the marble sideboard head first.

Even as Aran took Leng's men apart, the assassin dragged himself to reach the broken bottle, vomiting blood painfully, oxygen supplies depleting. He seized the cracked neck and repeatedly smacked it against the floor until the tip was jagged, then he dug the glass tube into his partially caved in esophagus, clearing the air-way of bile, phlegm and pink spittle thereby managing to take an agonised breath, that sawed up and out of his mouth in a foreign manner.

The last two swung their weapons madly at the crouched hunter, she lazily pushed them apart with a subtler biotic throw, then jumped effortlessly around one's neck with her thighs. Executing a complex, corkscrew body-scissor take-down. The advanced Hurricanrana move splatted him into the floor from where she dealt with Leng's final, immediately present subordinate.

Trapping his downward swing with her legs, she dislocated the main joint of Krauser's elbow while in a hand stand, then at the same time, swept his legs out with her left leg, allowing the helicoptering motion to bring her other leg up and around, arching over her back to collide with his form in mid-air. The inverted axe kick sent him ploughing through a large potted plant to lay deathly still.

Leng had staggered to his feet, the blade he had given to Aran in 2175 was embedded in the wooden floor boards. The room was a wreck of detritus and broken bodies; his former friend turned to face him. He reached back and under his own jacket, grasping the reverse pommels of two crossed Dha-lwe swords. The 50 cm, gently curved, South Eastern long knives slid out of their oiled scabbards with a serpent's hiss, fitting, considering his personal sigil.

He smiled bloodily despite his throbbing throat, at least Aran couldn't bounce him around the room as she had the others, he was one of the two men on-site that had invested in a personal hard shield. The hunter's nano-crystal, Chozo technology would come to save many lives, including those of her enemies, Adam had warned her never to distribute such a precious advantage but she had decided that the benefits to her friends in the intelligence community outweighed the advantages to her foes.

Leng saluted her with both raised blades, then attacked her fanatically. He rained down a series of closely spaced blows, trying to cut her to ribbons. Aran used the heel of her bare palms to bounce, slap and deflect the flat of the blade away with a speed that defied belief, unlike their old duels, she held nothing in reserve, toying with the injured assassin, making him believe he had her on the defensive.

As his right blade stabbed at her throat in a fleche maneuver, Aran intercepted the fulcrum of the lunge, her palm dug into the flat and ripped the weapon from his grip with an elaborate flourish that to him, looked as if she had merely snatched it away one handed. She dropped it over her back and held it in place with a biotic field as Leng's second blow would have slashed her spine. The expert counter knocked his attack off balance and in that time - Aran released the sword and easily chopped Leng on the outside of his triceps, in the nerve cluster just above his funny bone, his entire right side, including his appendages and facial muscles went limp.

Realizing that he was in deep shit, Leng reacted astoundingly considering the two, crippling blows Aran had delivered to him tonight. Spinning the rounded cross-guard of his left sword and driving her back as the tang of the blade nearly cut her jugular. His fist managed to slam into her temple.

Aran staggered, her knees buckling slightly, but like a punch-drunk heavyweight she refused to go down. Leng, a maddened bull, struck her again and again with the left hand that was wrapped around the hilt of the sword. Driving her back with every blow, nearer and nearer the wall where he could execute a pin and run her through the belly. But in his extreme rage, he made a mistake. Allowing Aran _inside_ his guard. It surprised even him when, instead of backing off, Aran attacked. Driving _forward_ on her back heel and, midway through, transferring all her weight onto the ball of her front foot. The resulting strike rattled Leng's teeth to the point of breakage and he flew off his groundly purchase, the world a grey blur until he crashed into a set of wall shelves and came to a halt, his vision a sickly red, stars dancing.

Using his sword as an impromptu cane, he struggled to prop himself up. Aran calmly kicked it out from under him. Again Leng tried to rise, this time on his elbow and again Aran thwarted him.

"I've got to say, Leng. I'm slightly disappointed..."

The Cerberus agent groaned. He took another shuddering breath and began to rise.

"Stay down." She half commanded and half advised. But the tenacious man sat up, facing her, his visage dark, his lips pulled back from his teeth in an animal snarl.

Trembling, Leng found his feet. There was a sudden spark of flame within his eyes. No man, or woman for that matter; had so _humiliated_ him in hand-to-hand combat. He needed to be close to her, this, _impossible_ woman. He bent over suddenly, retching again, but there was nothing left inside him to throw up.

"Enough! It's over, Leng! You can barely stand." But Leng swung his sword, even exhausted as he was. Aran side-stepped and grasped his wrist, utilizing his energy against him and throwing him to the ground. He scrambled up, lop-sided. The hunter disarmed him, but instead of cutting his throat, she hurled the sword away and kicked out.

"_Che-sah_!" She yelled, releasing her Qi, striking him a tremendous blow above his ribs, halting his advance with her greater reach. She didn't send the ridged bones plunging into his lungs, instead adjusting her foot's angle, cracking three of them. She ducked his next feeble attack and hammered his cranium with one rap of her balled fist. Using just the right amount of force so that the bone didn't shatter like porcelain.

Driven to his knees, his brain sloshing against the walls of his skull, Aran finished the fight with a straight kick under his jaw. Being kind enough not to pulp his trachea beyond all repair, Leng keeled over, she'd done just enough to keep him out of the hospital.

Leng was an utter mess, Aran lifted him up by the front of his shirt as if he were a child.

"You can't stop me from finding Project Keres, Leng. Whose the traitor on your payroll within the Spectres? Tell me!"

Leng, panting and suffering acutely, said, "go to hell!"

Aran struck his jaw with the edge of her hand.

"Why won't you _listen_ to me?"

"Try a - _little more_ - force," Leng laughed.

"You're _completely_ insane."

"Its done _wonders_ for you." He spat out the words as if they were poison. Aran smiled enigmatically in return, then swung his body into the wall, smashing the frame of the landscape painting that hung there. There was tempestuous fury flashing from her sea eyes.

"I swear to my forebears, if I even _smell_ one of your people behind me, there is no measure to how fast and how hard I will bring this fight to your doorstep. I'm on my own side, I always have been. If we meet again as enemies - I'll _kill you_."

She glanced down at his belt as he touched a pager that was clipped there, it flashed with a small red LED as a silent alarm went out... They exchanged impassive looks, expressions of mutual respect, the understanding that they were just professionals working on opposite sides; before Aran smacked him to the floor.

"You'll regret not killing me _now_, Shepard." Wheezed Leng.

"Maybe, but not today." She pulled out her HMW and brought down the butt end of her gun onto the crown of Leng's skull with a sharp _'thwok!' _He tensed, then relaxed, flopping down like a clubbed fish.

Aran edged towards the door, one arm raised, holding the pistol up steadily. She could already hear Leng's back-up arriving and their pathetic attempts at approaching the apartment stealthily. Two combatants, she determined. The door's latch began to lift...

It burst open, the two mercs on the other side trying to ram the door into her. Aran grabbed the heavy slab of wood and slammed it onto the first man's outstretched arm, splintering the bone as he was trapped there, he screamed and dropped his Tempest sub-machine gun, allowing the hunter to turn it around and mince him with three short bursts.

Although the door was not double-hinged, Samus rectified that by kicking the door outwards, breaking the second man's nose as he toppled back. Not allowing him to recover, Aran rushed out of the bottle neck, reversed his pistol and pulled the trigger with her little finger, putting several rounds through his torso.

Before he hit the ground, she had wrenched the weapon away and turned both handguns on a merc below, firing both in tandem. The spray tore up his shields and drilled a dozen holes in him.

A storm of return fire from down the stairwell caused Aran to jump back, disruptor slugs tracing bullet holes in the ceiling with their unique blue bursts. She recognised the weapon from its sound alone. An SC-50K, Jormangund-manufactured, Manticore assault weapon, tracing the trajectory, she knew the merc to be on the twentieth stair, she was on the fortieth level.

Glancing off the edge she yanked her head back as the fusillade depleted her own kinetic barrier, the last merc had a hard shield, precluding the use of biotics, after all, she had designed them especially - to counter the mass decreasing / increasing fields.

Knowing that he outmatched her in fire power, Aran thought fast, she grabbed one of the downed mercs by the scruff of his jacket and tipped him over the side, then jumped herself. Riding the body in free-fall, the final merc gawped at the outlandish sight, even as Aran raised her unique Spectre pistol and fired a single warp-tunnel round, a biotic technique that bypassed a shield emitter entirely by creating a warp spark that in turn; disrupted the field at that precise location.

The bullet flared purple when it struck and phased through the ME envelope, then it entered the merc's open mouth and blew the rear of his head off. He was thrown backward in a welter of blood and brains.

Samus and her Human trampoline whistled down the gaps and crashed into the metal earth over _eighty metres_ below. The body imploded as Aran landed awkwardly on top, the lighter gravity still sent her tumbling off to slam into the base of the corridor wall and lay there, seemingly dead.

As a massive pool of red spread outwards from the burst corpse, Aran gingerly pulled herself up and limped out of the apartment block, stopping to jam her crooked knee back into place with a sharp tap. She reached a seamless hatch, her omni tool flashed with Prothean symbols as she unlocked a pipe to the Keeper protein vats, a secret subway of winding passages which the stick-insect aliens used to traverse the station. She walked tiredly, not from exertion but from dejection; up the secret path, and back to the Normandy.

Upstairs, Leng staggered out of the flat, doing his best to hold his gun steady in both hands, he looked over the side, noticing the crimson, shredded remains of his men; one thought racing through his dazed mind, _how_?

* * *

><p>Gabrilan whistled through his teeth as Aran's story concluded. "So he knew about you and Kryik? That's not good."<p>

"No, it isn't," she agreed, "no-one in my organization would betray me, which leads me to believe that one of Nihlus's friends, perhaps someone Saren knew as well. Kept Cerberus informed of my doings _through_ Nihlus."

"A Cerberus mole within the Spectres? That seems unlikely, you're the only Human, and by Kruban I know it can't be you, what with your pro-alien agenda, perhaps an Asari agent with a Human father...?"

"It's useless to speculate, even _Cerberus_ should know better than to touch the right hand of the Council. They don't have the man-power or the pull with the Alliance to bring about such a sleeper agent's placement; because the Alliance doesn't have any such sway over the Council. They're too conjoined to operate on such a different wavelength of interdependency."

"Surely then, Humanity gaining a Council seat is not the safest move by any stretch of the imagination."

"Leave that to the bureaucrats, I know how this game is played, Cerberus only has a peripheral interest in politics, they want to rule from behind the scenes, like some wannabe Illuminati, Group of Five. But they had a _plan_ last night, and I can't help but feel that even had I killed Leng or had him arrested, I was, in some way, defeated..."

* * *

><p>The Illusive Man activated his personal holographic relay suite, bringing up Kai Leng's battered but alive image.<p>

"You look like you've taken quite the beating." He methodically lit one of his Earth-branded tobacco cigarettes and took a smooth drag. "I hope it was worth it, did you manage to record the EEG data?" The Leader of Cerberus asked.

"Yes, sir. Shepard was completely fooled, within a few months Project Mnemosyne will be able to replicate the mental blocks and conditioning Shepard used to absorb the Cipher, Jeong was very, _co-operative_, when we caught up with him in telling us what we wanted to know."

The device at his belt had done a lot more than send out a distress call to the four guards on the landing, it had taken an advanced 3D model of the N7 Guardian's electrical activity from the temporal lobes to the cerebellum.

"Excellent, you've done well, Leng. I'm sure you'll agree that the deaths of a few minor agents were a small price to pay for victory."

"It doesn't feel like a victory to me."

"That's to be expected, Shepard could prove very useful to this organization still. And I doubt I'll send _you_ to treat with her again, you two have too much history, it makes things, _unnecessarily_ complicated."

"She'd never join Cerberus, or voluntarily work with us. She wouldn't consider it, what with her being so _free_."

"_Freedom_," sneered the Illusive Man, "_no-one_ is _truly_ free, she's a loner, an introvert, we bring about the right, _circumstances _and we'll have Humanity's most visible hero under our control yet. _That_, I promise you."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hah! Don't thank me yet, when we bring her in, _if_ we bring her in. I'd rather lose some grunts than my best man. It _will_ be messy."

"Of course, sir. Whatever it takes to advance the cause."

* * *

><p>Aran had finished her drink as Wrex and Gabrilan chatted animatedly in their own tongue, toothy grins of surprise lit their faces when the hunter joined them to discuss the worst wound they had survived, Aran couldn't compare scars unless she counted her entire physical form.<p>

"I'm telling you, Gabrilan. One - day - later, and you wouldn't even know she'd ever been injured!"

"How do you take it, Shepard?" Gabrilan queried.

"I imbibe what ever makes me stronger," she replied evasively. Punching him on the arm for his innuendo-ridden double entendre.

"You could have brought some reinforcements with you last night, Commander." Grumbled Garrus from his adjacent table, "you don't have to do everything by yourself, you know."

"Is that, _worry_ I detect from you, Vakarian? Solo missions are my specialty, you'll be a part of the shore party on Noveria I can guarantee it. I haven't forgotten you!"

Wrex was looking pensive. "What I don't get, is _why_ Cerberus would try to win you over when we've already killed and captured some of their people, what can they be after that would warrant such casualties?"

"Knowledge, perhaps..." stated Aran, pondering.

"Is that really... _Wow_! It's you!" Interrupted the shrill yet gruff voice of a platinum blonde, stockily-built man with a flat-top haircut, a bristly beard and pale, adoring eyes that seemed to be swimming in unshed tears of unrivaled joy!

The strange man had spotted Shepard and, undeterred by her humongous drinking companions, tottered over with delight in his step. Garrus promptly stood up before he had got within three metres of the Commander and placed a rough hand over his chest, stopping him in place. The man's eyes widened in shock, but it was due more to a fever of fan-boy delirium than fear.

Hayden expertly ran an omni tool scanner over his body, trying to detect any concealed weapons, meanwhile, Garrus patted him down physically, not taking any chances where Shepard's safety was concerned. After a few seconds, her Turian bodyguards let the diminutive man past.

"Commander - Shepard?" He began tentatively.

"Yes?" She posited politely, hoping this clown wouldn't make an ass of himself. She could detect a crazed fan from a mile away but none had ever been brave enough to approach. Until now.

"The Hero of Elysium and Eden Prime! It is such an _honour_ to meet you!" The man continued, bowing his head obsequiously, _really_ bowing. As in, subject before _royalty_, bowing.

"Nice to meet you," she stood up and shook hands with him, wiping the grease of her palm when he wasn't looking. "And you are?"

"Oh my name is Conrad, Conrad Verner." Before she could ask what he wanted, he said slavishly: "They say you killed over a _hundred_ Geth on Eden Prime!"

Ignoring the stifled chuckling that was emanating from two particular Krogan, Aran tried to put out the fire. "_They_ say a lot of things, I'm always too busy - _killing_ to count." Her attempt to scare him subliminally, had no success.

"Hey, I know you're probably _busy_, but do you suppose you have time for - a quick autograph?" He reached into his trouser pocket and took out a small touch tablet and holo-state pen.

Samus scratched her head, somewhat abashed, he _seemed_ sincere and harmless enough but she had been forced to restrain and even kill a handful of crazed fan-stalkers in the past, all of them were very memorable personalities, not to mention depraved. But she sensed Conrad was more of a threat to _himself_ than anyone else.

Stone-faced, she took the tablet and pen he offered and gave him one of her varied public signatures in English characters, tracing: _'Aran Shepard, XxX, stay safe, with love, to Conrad.'_

"Anything for a fan. Here," she handed him back his belongings complete with a personalized autograph, hoping that he'd now leave, as amusing a diversion as he was; Verner was starting to irritate her.

"Thanks! I _really_ appreciate this! Would it be too much to ask to get a picture with you?"

"I - suppose so, I don't have a problem with it - but, _why_?"

"Are you _kidding_? No-one will believe me when I say I met the _beautiful_ Commander Shepard if I don't have a_ picture_! You're the first Human Spectre _and_ the record holder of all the N7 advanced combat initiatives! Your skill and grace have already attracted a _legion_ of admirers!"

"Okay, then. Wrex, would you be so kind as to do the honours? You would?" She said without waiting for an answer, feeling in the punishing mood.

The Krogan grumbled something indecipherable, but complied; accepting Verner's omni tool. Conrad was trembling with excitement as his hero put her arm around his shoulder and looked at the camera. Conrad tried to loop his own arm around her waist possessively, she slapped his hand smartly.

"_Ooow_!"

Correcting his blunder, Conrad placed his arm on her respective shoulder and beamed brokenly at the omni flash. The still-shot saw Aran giving the smallest of smiles, her eyes abright with mischief and giving the 'thumb's up' sign, while Verner was looking constipated, his eyes scrunched shut and ironically displaying the 'peace' sign while cracking a cheesy grin.

"Thank you, Commander!" He sobbed, once Wrex had shoved the image into his chest none too lightly. "I'm going to hang this in my _living room_! My _wife_ will love it!"

Samus sighed in relief, finally, a balanced, healthy being was one of her fans, she felt privileged. Though the guys were trying to hide smiles considering their Commander had almost been tricked into thinking she'd been the only, (unobtainable) woman in Conrad's non-existent social life.

"Next time I'm on Earth, I'd _love_ to buy you a drink! Thanks again!" He called back as Hayden practically pitched him out of the VIP area by the back of his shirt and the belt of his pants.

"What a weirdo," Mathias noted with evident disapproval.

"Takes one to know one," quipped Garrus airily, causing the rest of the party to erupt in a chorus of hilarity and order new drinks.

* * *

><p>Aran had once more returned to the Spectre offices within the Citadel tower. Only this time, to her own private quarters and study, replete with a large panoramic window that afforded a glorious view of the Citadel arms; not unlike the one that overlooked the docking bays.<p>

She stopped by a darkened floor projector, allowing the Corvette's beacon to emerge from her left hand and spiral in to place, rippling with Chozo code and murky golden, neon lime-tinged light, an AI holographic avatar of Adam Malkovich appeared. Aran continued to gaze out, while her old friend greeted her cordially.

"My Lady."

She paid him no heed, her magnificent mind determining why Adam would leak such sensitive Intel, including her relationship with Nihlus; to Cerberus.

"You could have informed me of the whole plan, Adam." She announced with just a hint of anger.

"I couldn't, if we wished it, we could bring down every local network in this Galaxy; and bring about a new stone age. That kind of power can't even be_ inferred_ to be in the hands of two individuals. The panic and hostility it would cause..."

"I know that, damn it! But when I said the best double agent is an unwitting one, I didn't mean for you to include me in the mix."

"But now the Illusive Man and his people underestimate you, underestimate _us_. They think they may one day be able to control you, that allows us to get close to him in turn."

"Like the sea serpent that waits at the bottom of the ocean and let's her enemies come to her."

"They'll take bites out of you though."

"And when they realise that my hide is toxic to them?" She finally turned to look at the shade of the man she once knew.

"They'll attack you with everything they have."

"And we'll rise up to meet them." Aran retorted, stepping closer, then she sighed, clasping her hands behind her back and retraced her steps to the window.

"These people, Adam. They're like _ghosts_. Always hiding behind _lies_ and _proxy soldiers. _I need you to find them, help Gabrilan and Kahoku with their investigations. They cannot stop us, they cannot stop the _future_..."

"Our scout ships report the Geth incursion has fully taken hold, Hackett asked me to contact you on the matter. He's massed an expeditionary task force to retake the Armstrong Nebula, he wants the Normandy to lead the company's 43rd Wolf Pack Flotilla."

"Arterius will have the Alliance planets too heavily fortified, from both orbit and on land. I want a cautionary fleet of three AT-770 Ragnarok-class Super Cruisers, fully equipped with Sidewinder Mk. XXVIII fighter support vehicles outside the nebulae cloud. In case they make a break from their systems, or in case we have to take the fight to them."

"You're willing to expose our existence to the Alliance?"

"In part, but I won't stand by when we have the power to lessen the inevitable casualties, and I'd rather make a favourable impression with Hackett and Anderson, they've been dying to see something that proves my story apart from my own unnatural nature."

"Understood."

"Well I fear you don't, you're not going rampant on me in your old age now are you, General Malkovich?"

"Wouldn't that have happened during the 2649 years, 10 months, three weeks, two days and fourteen hours since you unshackled me from Federation control?"

"Point taken, help me Adam-Wan-Kenobi, you're my only hope."

"Very funny, Lady. When you can process information at faster than light speed - let me know."

"You've brought your sense of humour along, I see. It's called the Varia suit's IPU, smart-alack. I could have retired your ass centuries ago, so watch it."

"Hark, where would the great Samus Aran be without her loyal Artificial Intelligence counter-part. I'm the Alfred Pennyworth to your Bruce Wayne, the John Watson to your Sherlock Holmes, the Corta -"

"RIGHT! That's enough of that, _old friend_. Let's agree to disagree as we seem to have done for nearly _all_ of the last three millenia."

"You have to admit though, without either of us sticking together for so long, I think we both would have been driven mad by now."

"Aren't we already? We've been separated longer than a decade before, we've lived alone for the majority of our natural lives. Solidarity is in our blood, metaphysically for you, of course, no offence."

"None taken, but Christ, Lady. How did you survive in that snake pit for so long after the BSL Incident?"

Aran threw off her overcoat and settled down on the sofa, pouring herself four fingers of whiskey and throwing the shot glass back easily, then she said in a tone of asperity. "What makes you think I have?"

* * *

><p><em>Two days later...<em>

The Normandy SR-1 was en route to the Hong System to deal with the first Geth outpost, Aran had finished a preliminary arrangement with Rear Admiral Kahoku and had retreated to her cabin for some much needed R&R. While meditating, she had put on Strauss' _Tod und Verklärung, _a tripping cascade of violins poured from the Hyperions. It was a solar arrangement to her as glorious as beholding the shimmering, red-shifting quasars; the distant extragalactic objects that were beyond even her warp drive's ineffable reach. _  
><em>

Her eyes were closed, the music swirled around her, each note burst into a drop of radiantly coloured light that left a dying trail like a falling star against a night sky. She could taste the sounds, too; each instrument and tone delivered a different flavour. The cello painted long, aquamarine streaks that tasted sweet and cool. The violins splashed hot orange lines with hints of cinnamon.

Samus enjoyed music immensely, it helped put her in that zone of intense concentration: New found talents relating to alien pieces were in many regards just as good. Such as VI-vian Wonder, Lita'Orn nar Idenna and Lady Sweat. But they didn't have that same soulful feel that the classics had, specially Earth classics, she was as picky as the Illusive Man favouring his home-made Kentucky Bourbon in that regard. She listened to the orchestral masterpieces of Rachmaninoff, Vivaldi, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Dun, Zamfir, Bach, Haydn and Puccini.

Each instrumental piece she could follow with minute detail, though she was perfectly capable of playing any of the pieces with sheet music reference, she had never learned to play without. A sad reminder of her true calling, a warrior who destroyed without mercy, not an artist who created life from nothing.

The soft, light tone gradually changed to more choral pieces, deep and booming, thrumming with latent power and the ominous shadows of portending war. To Aran the notes were visualised as a rampaging super nova, searing bursts of golden effulgence, pouring forth a healthy charge of adrenaline, as sweet to her as ambrosia for one so used to combat's warm and oddly comforting embrace.

Turning the music off, Samus took the time to visit each member of her party alone. Tali told her of the upgrades she and Garrus had made to the M35 Mako and the M38 Bull Shark rovers; that allowed the chemical jets to fire for a full three seconds instead of the previously limited half-second.

She had a long and interesting conversation with Wrex, though. He felt a conflicted set of interests, between helping his ungrateful people and finding purpose in fighting for money alone. Both bounty hunters agreed that taking contracts for credits was a simple and uncomplicated way of life: fighting for your next meal, your next rented accommodation, your next extensive repair of your weapons and armour. The life of a veritable hermit.

Wrex laid his soul bare to the Commander, in a thrilling story of how his father had confronted him on the Krogan sacred grounds to hold a crush meeting between conservative and traditionalist parties. It had turned into a bloodbath, and Wrex had lost faith in his people's capacity for change, even as he'd stabbed his father, Warlord Jarrod, to death. Aran was not so sure, Gabrilan and Wrex were of a rare breed in their reasonable, non-mercenary outlook but she would need more allies on Tuchanka itself to affect a change in thinking; then there was the matter of the damn Genophage. If there was a war coming, Aran wanted the Krogan at her back.

Ashley and Kaidan were watching a twenty first century war film together in the crew quarters, much to the hunter's disconcertment, didn't they do enough fighting these days? Besides, the vids seemed appallingly fake when you had been in the situations that stunt men were 'rigorously protected and insured to perform.

Finally, Samus decided to check in on Liara. The Asari Scientist was sitting at her console checking up writings on some kind of software - she quickly turned off the monitor as she heard the Commander enter the room but the single image was burned into Aran's memory, a translation program - not for Prothean glyphs, but for Chozodian.

Liara spun her head to the visitor, her features brightening outwardly, yet she felt a small ball of watery fear in her chest at the same time. Aran gave her a salutation which Liara deigned to respond, albeit meekly, she crossed the room and sat in a swivel chair next to the resident archaeologist.

"So, Dr. T'Soni, I was just in the neighborhood when I though I could swing by and finish up where we left off? You know, before a homicidal maniac tried to nuke us into oblivion."

"You shouldn't joke of such things, Commander. We were all in clear and present danger."

"Maybe - I like danger?"

"Really?"

"Try me." Aran leaned back in her chair comfortably. Liara was taken aback and flustered; but powered on regardless.

"Well, I couldn't help but notice that when I looked at your journal, many passages were set out in complex diagrams and other dioramas, complete with spaced notes. Such ordering is tactical in nature, like the writings of ancient generals, you have been to war many times."

"Go on..."

"But, as far as I know - there have been precious few major conflicts in the Galaxy since the Blitz. This would lead me to conclude that you have either falsified facts for fiction, or your public records have been altered."

"You checked my files? I thought you were always telling me of your interest in the Protheans."

"Actually, I think I've been talking about my interest in _you_, far longer than my own academics."

Aran's reluctance was being burned away in favour of a keen preoccupation with this woman; after all, when you bat for both teams...

"...And making a fool of myself in the process," stumbled Liara. "As I said, I am not used to dealing with people, especially Humans. I did not really know much about your species when we first met, Shepard. I found it difficult to take Humanity seriously, your kind always seems so _rushed_ and high-strung."

"Is that how you perceive moi?" Aran put out there innocently.

"No! No, I would never presume to - I, I never meant to offend you - "

"Calm down Liara, just a joke between friends."

"Joking? Oh, by the Goddess! How I could I be so dense! You must think I am a complete and utter fool."

"Wrongo, I see a woman who was willing to disobey social conventions _and_ maternal expectations to follow what she believes in; there's no greater sign of independence or maturity than that."

"Thank you, Shepard. That means a great deal. After spending so much time around you and your crew, I have noticed, a discrepancy between the individuals and the one who leads them."

Aran was beginning to smile, she drew up one knee onto the seat of her chair, a seemingly infantile position.

"Though they are creatures of action, it is their Commander who pursues her final goals with an almost indomitable determination, yet, she is also creature of immense thought as well. They are admirable traits but, also... intimidating ones."

"You're scared of me?" Aran cringed inside, she could understand the reasoning, Liara knew she was hiding something momentous, an old wound that unlike her physical form, could never heal, she herself was wary of starting any kind of relationship, she was always the one who survived her partner, the one who would always be alone.

Liara was almost trembling in anticipation, whether the door would open to her or be closed forever. She tried to draw out Aran's secret, the woman was too magnetic, too powerful to resist, she felt a jolt of heat shoot through her nether regions as her eyes lingered on her powerful but shapely hands, instruments of destruction, and of what else... T'Soni shook herself, it went further than that. The desire to unearth something as ancient and wise and tortured as the remarkable being that sat before her. She was close now, so _close_ to discovering the truth.

"There is a reason that the Council chose _you_ to become a Spectre. They saw something _special_ in you, as do I."

"What else did you find to bring you to this conclusion?" Asked Aran with a note of affection; this was it, she prayed that the Asari would not put her through apotheosis, she had merely dropped hints of her past to Leng and he had become sadly delusional. What would Liara think of her if she revealed any concrete proof?

"I looked into your history. I know what you did during the Blitz. It was a remarkable display of courage and heroism. But I've seen the way you fight, it is _not like_ other people, for you, violence has transcended the realm of the physical to become something, _spiritual_ in your eyes. The biotics you used on Shiala's Thorian clone, not even my mother could do that. How is it possible for you to be twenty nine years old and - as you were sixteen when Mindoir was razed by the Batarians, have learnt _all this_ within thirteen years? It's not, it's Impossible! And you know it!"

They had reached the crossroads, Samus Aran remained calm and silent for a full minute. In her youth she had been cynical about revealing the slightest hint of truth about her past. Because it would have put her at a disadvantage. When people knew you, they thought they owned you - that the truth you had shared with them in a moment of weakness they called intimacy would somehow; _bind you_ to them for life.

But Liara was not like all the rest, she was within Aran's mental sphere, she understood the nuances of the world as she did. The hunter felt her soul mate calling to her as wildly as the rituals of the dappled jungle. She was a realist, but even the iron will of Samus Aran knew when to give in to chemistry.

"You're too smart for your own good." She finally said admiringly, "has anyone ever told you that?"

"Yes," Liara smirked, all sincere and earnest.

"I'm not worried that you went behind my back, Liara. If you'd asked, I would have told you whatever you wanted to know. But I expect honesty in return, why did you delve so deeply into my records?"

Liara stared at her feet. "I wanted to find out more about you. To understand what made you into the woman you are." She raised her exquisitely sculpted head. "There is something,_ compelling_ about you, Shepard."

Aran rose and offered a hand to Liara, she took it daintily and they both stood before each other. The huntress stroked and twined her fingers with the Asari's own, yet for all her vaunted perception and judge of character, there was a note of touching vulnerability in Aran's voice as she asked.

"I want to believe that, but - are you sure this has nothing to do with my exposure to the Prothean beacon?"

"I admit, your connection to the Protheans had something to do with my initial interest. But it has grown beyond that. You intrigue me Shepard. Yet I was not sure it was, _appropriate_ to act on my feelings. I thought there might already be a relationship between you and Lieutenant Alenko."

Aran twirled Liara around by the arms playfully, putting her head back and letting out a bark of laughter. "Kaidan? The man is a social train wreck that makes you, my good doctor, look like Sibyl Colefax in comparison!"

"Who?"

"A socialite, my dear. You'll go on to do great things, I've never been wrong on that front. So yes, me and the LT; we're just friends."

"Hah, my mistake then, it seems I am not as adept at understanding Human relationships as I thought. But what about us, Shepard? Is there a mutual attraction? Or - was I wrong about that too?"

"No - you _are_ right, there _is_ something between us." She rolled the pads of her thumbs in small, delicate circles around the springy tissue on the palms of Liara's pale blue hands.

"I knew it! And I knew you felt it too. But, does this not seem rather strange, _why_ do I feel so _close_ to you. We have only known each other for a short time, we are from two different species, we have almost nothing in common -"

"Ohhh, _really_? I think we compliment each other beautifully. Fire and water, steel and silk, hard and _soft_..." Aran explored the Asari gently, tracing her hand down Liara's thigh while caressing her sensitive scalp tendrils, Liara's nostrils flared.

"This... ugh," she couldn't help but whimper in pleasure as Aran pecked her neck. "This - makes no sense." But her own hands had strayed - one going to the small of Aran's back the other across her broad shoulders.

"It's the oldest calling of life, just let yourself be _given up_ in the moment," murmured Samus as she nibbled the same spot with rising avidity. Then she nuzzled her head against Liara's cheek as she stepped right up close, pressing her firm breasts into Liara's ample chest. Liara was quivering, both from her words and the sheer force of her physical presence, her skin was prickling with heat, her mouth dry, her throat full with longing.

Aran continued to massage the sensitive spots on Liara's scalp and buttocks, even as she leant her own head back and pulled her chest upward with agonising slowness, in turn, feeling Liara rise against her in a kind of spasm she was powerless to control.

"Do you see what I mean?"

"Yes," Liara whispered.

Aran now blew gentle trails of air onto the Asari's face, Liara in turn proceeded closer, tilting her head at adorable angles, their noses touched and flitted across each other. Noticing the intricacies of each other's attributes. It was Liara who bravely took the plunge, planting a light kiss on Aran's full and rich lower lip. The hunter's eyes glittered in veneration. Before she promptly took her by the neck and with verve, pulled Liara's own heart-shaped, wide lips into a blissful joining of pure passion.

They traversed the contours of each other's intimate area, tongues met as with a smack, Aran parted her lips slightly and let the muscle explore Liara's, who, with cheerful alacrity, responded. Waggling and twining around each other in a hot and heavy game that elicited moans from the Asari and sighs from the Human / Chozo. As the kiss increased in fervor, so to did the air shift around them as a blue and purple biotic fields sparked off each other, giving the dark room a rosy tint and highlighting dust particles as motes of light.

After what seemed like several hours of such a union, Aran withdrew, making Liara look disappointed that it hadn't lasted longer. They both sat on the doctor's desk, cuddling, the room reverting to its drabness. The Asari didn't know it yet, but that had been Samus at her most gentle!

"You make it seem so powerful, so _momentous_," Liara whispered. Aran had her chin over Liara's head like a mother eagle protecting its ward with her wing, she stood again and looked contrite.

"I can't play games with you or the others anymore, I'm hoping our little commitment might lessen the shock a bit. There's a larger threat out there and I need to be honest with you all. After I show you, get everyone assembled in the Comm. Room, and all the details will be explained, no matter how small. However, there are things about _me_, things I may never be able to share, not just with you; but with anyone."

"What is it?"

"I think it's best if I show you."

"You mean - ?"

"Yes, join our minds, submerge yourself in my subconscious and _know me_ for who _I really am_. Though you may be surprised by what you see."

"You're afraid of how I'll judge you, that I may regret my decision?"

"I've done, _questionable_ things."

"We _all_ have at one point or another in our lives, I'm honoured that you'd trust me with such sensitive information."

"Quickly then, before I have second thoughts." She stepped close once more and lowered her psionic shields, Liara gained a bead on the Commander's mind and intoned the mind melding Siari mantra. Her sapphire eyes darkening until they were onyx.

"Embrace eternity!"

* * *

><p><em>Liara was cold, she stood in a world of jet black night, though she could see her own limbs fine. There was nothing in any direction, no light, no surroundings, just an empty plain of nothingness. As she revolved slowly, trying to gain a deeper purchase on Aran's mind-scape, the Commander appeared out of nowhere and stood before her when she had completed a three sixty turn. Liara called out, but Samus merely turned and walked slowly away, the archaeologist followed; now a crack of white dawn began to grow from the ground, despite Liara running to catch up, the distance between the two seemed only to increase.<em>

_Samus didn't look back, instead raising her left hand up and twitching the plane of her palm back in a gesture of farewell. Before she disappeared into the brightness of the event horizon. _Accompanied by the deep tones and resonant operatic notes of a male and female Chozo choir of priests and priestesses._ Liara halted, the plane of white expanded, consuming the darkness and with a flare of brilliance, Liara T'Soni witnessed the memories of Samus Aran without rhyme or reason._

_She stood on a pillar of steaming ice, under an orange sky and bore testament to two warriors diving through the air. One was twice the size of his opponent, a vorpal, long-headed alien with nitrogen running through his turquoise veins and a sword of sparkling hoarfrost in his three-fingered hand. His angled armour was pure solid water, but it gave off a blue, ghostly luminosity, the result of some kind of nitrogenous chemical within._

_The foe he fought wore armour unlike anything she had seen. It looked like living metal, a collection of artistic 'muscle' metal plates that were worthy of comparison to a sculpture of Michelangelo. Red, bronze, silver and gold sections, neon cyan gluino emitters. War lines bisected the suit into an organic condition and the reflective, but pale, crimson helm looked like the mask of a messiah of death. The opaque, glowing, harlequin green visor saturated to a darker Kelly green as a cloud moved across._

_Upon the warrior's right arm was a cannon, an arm cannon, shimmering and vibrating as it drew in and gave form to the shapeless anti-matter of the Universe and coalesced it into a ball of lethal energy. It soared free, trailing yellow shifting static particles and flashed as it struck the alien's bassinet; cracking both it and the ice gorget._

_The scene changed. A boggy swamp under a purple sky and scarlet-tinged clouds, the Warrior of Light grappled with a similarly-clad combatant as an armoured bird people looked on, (the soldier was a veteran member of the chōjin-zoku clan, Chozo warriors who worshiped the Great Destroyer by fighting for him in ritualistic combat. for them, only death on the battlefield was the greatest glory one could achieve in this life, their immortality of years turning them into cruel conquerors rather than the pacifist ecologists of Aran's adopted tribe.)_

_They fought so quickly, that Liara had to slow down the memory flow, watching as the metallic behemoths tore at each other. Fighting with the dispassion needed at such a peak of ability. Locked in an elemental struggle that viciously ended when the one with the beak-shaped helmet drove a vibro blade into the humanoid's hamstring and severed the leg from the inside of the armour, the knee-cap disintegrating. But it was not over, the one with the green Y-visor seemed paralysed in agony. Only for Aran to shatter the other's spinal column while using the separated calf as the jump-point for her roundhouse kick._

_Next, Liara finally saw Shepard for the first time, standing on a club's table and firing a whopping pulse rifle with one hand, bringing down huge, crocidilian aliens that seemed to be the establishment's bouncers._

_Then, a titanic battle within a gloomy Sky Temple, an underground magma cavern, a radioactive impact crater, a spiraling space station, the surface of a sun, falling down a generator shaft, within the depths of a dying planet, soaring through an asteroid belt, atop a storm-wracked cliff above a teeming forest, sitting on a canyon precipice, watching the twin moons of Zebes..._

_Samus Aran, three years old. K2-L ablaze. Parents and friends butchered. Rescued by a dying, advanced race, the Chozo. Brought to Zebes. Infused, changed, evolved to live on the harsh world, raised by the wingless birds and her Grandfather._

_Samus Aran, fourteen years old. Trained in shamanistic meditation, combat, marksmanship and survival techniques. Gifted the first of two power suits by Grey Voice._

_Samus Aran, seventeen years old. The youngest Star Tracker in the Universe. A short and turbulent military career. Her true path, to become **the** bounty hunter, the hunter that would be known from the Medusa Cascade to the Great Shardonian Rift._

_Samus Aran, twenty one. Learning, falling, picking herself up. The missions she failed, would never remain so... Thousands of missions, a hundred percent success rate, corporations and syndicates laid low in the face of her unstoppable path to vengeance._

_The second battle for Zebes. Ridley, Kraid and Mother Brain. The triumvirate that led and controlled the mindless hordes of the Utragian Space Pirates. For thirty years she would fight their re-animated forms and the might of High Command, after the destruction of numerous station platforms and star systems and of over four enemy planets by her own hand. The conflict ended._

_Liara was bombarded with sensory overload. Assassination and snatch contracts, the deranged AI, 'Martyr'. adventures within the Sub-Space Emissary, travels through time and other parallel Universes with a dorky Gallifreyan, a red mining vessel with five zany occupants, private armies and space dogfights; quests for immemorial power, competition from other hunters and of course... Life, Aran was so tired and so old, a creature that had once had so many friends and lovers past the ages, all gone now._

_Only to see so many empires rise and fall. The fact that Aran was not a demented outcast was nothing short of a triumph, she still lived, she still loved. A traveler that would never rest, a warrior that would never lay down her arms, a Human being who would never stop living as long as there were people to meet, lessons to be learned, moments of peace and prosperity to enjoy and an endless sea of intolerant sentients to fight._

* * *

><p>Liara stumbled back as the meld ended, her legs felt like lead, her brain fizzing from the view out of the narrow window, onto an exceptional, a wonderful life; that <em>she, <em>of all people, had been lucky enough to have been chosen to see. She hadn't even scratched the surface though; of Aran's past.

"By the Goddess..." She breathed, truly beholding her Commander for the first time, who had closed her eyes and lowered her chin, her hands clasped in front of her. "The images, I never imagined - they would be so - _intense_. You, you never truly changed your bearing, did you?"

Aran gave a quick shake of her head.

"Then - you've always been this way, you _are_ Aran Shepard, I thought you'd reveal a hidden persona, that being the Byronic hero was just an act, but this, hah! It's actually, _smaller_ if you can believe that!"

"I told you you'd be surprised." Aran spoke gladly, Liara had placed a hand over her mouth, tears leaking out of her eyes at the enormity of the situation, she'd lived her entire life searching for archaeological relics, merely passing through history, but this - this _was_ history.

"I - This is all - _a bit_ overwhelming," Liara practically sobbed. "I am not used to... this. _You_. I need some time, Shepard."

Aran gave a stiff nod and retired to the door back into the med bay. She opened the door and looked back with the air of the shenanigans to come and the few glorious moments to share them with another.

"Take all the time you need, Liara. I'll be here. And the name's not Shepard, it's Aran, Samus Aran." And with that, she left and closed the door with a click behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: 8D 'Till next time!  
><strong>


	26. Vadas

**A/N: Well, well, well. After finally checking out the TVTropes site for the first time, I found an interesting article entitled: '**_**Mother, May I See Metroid Other M.'**_** If you read it – I'm sure that you, as any self-respecting Metroid fan will agree. This lore-breaking shit stain excuse of a game deserves a special place in _hell_ for what it's tried to do to such an important series. Therefore, I did what I should have done two years ago – and destroyed my copy of... MOM, *shudder*, with _ice_ from my fridge-freezer, blunt force _trauma_ to the brittle disc with a hammer and a roaring _fire_ from my wood-burning stove; Ala the AVGN, (James Rolfe.)**

**So it now falls to me, to do what Nintendo can't and that is to deliver, in my humble attempt, to give video gaming's first playable heroine; the character and complexity she deserves. Thank you. And... There's going to be quite a bit of shouting this chapter, some epic music wouldn't go amiss as I listened to a lot while writing it!  
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_"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."_

"_I believe that through discipline, though not through discipline alone, we can achieve serenity, and a certain small but precious measure of the freedom from the accidents of incarnation, and charity, and that detachment which preserves the world which it renounces."_

_(J. Robert Oppenheimer)_

**Vadas**

The ground team of the Normandy filed in to the Comm. Room, having been called there for a classified debriefing by their CO. The fourteen individuals, including Jeff, Karin, Charles and Greg. All seated themselves as Aran actively stood at the head of the ring of chairs; in an 'at ease' stance.

Everyone was politely curious about this Intel – as they were only halfway to the Armstrong Nebula and couldn't make a mass relay drop to another system considering they had used over three secondary relays. The smartest among them discerned then, that this would be a personal matter. Which was nearly all present.

"Everyone," announced Aran solemnly. "I have a story to tell."

And tell them she did, for two hours straight she spoke into the rapt silence. Relating to them, of her true origin from beyond the Milky Way Galaxy, the dark space constellation, composed of primordial life gases and mitochondrion star dust, many thousands of years into the future and beyond this current time stream. A true parallel Universe...

She told them a few tales of her long career as 'the Hunter', her old enemy, Sylux, and his unwillingly, eldritch-imprinted visions, her transit through the dimensional rift using an ancient portal device coupled with working warp drive that didn't just exist in the vids. And how she had studied the inhabitants of the cosmos from behind the relative safety of an un-mapped relay.

To say the crew were stunned, would have been a gross understatement. Tali and Garrus were leaning forward, their ears bent on every word. Liara was just as enthralled, despite being aware of the absolute truth. Wrex was the least _openly_ impressed. Inside he was glad, he had known she was not ordinary from the first moment he'd met her; to have his suspicions confirmed was gladdening indeed, not to mention his pride had been restored in knowing that the individual who had bested him was a hybrid with incredible physical powers and not just a normal Human woman, though she had never been normal in the literal sense either.

The Human crew were all deeply skeptical of such outlandish claims, Dr. Chakwas thought the Commander had suffered some kind of brain damage after the mission on Agebinium, a theory that was supported by Williams, Pressly and Alenko.

In admission, Aran used 0. 41% of the beacon's energy to summon a perfect holo replica of the arm cannon around her left forearm; the crew shrunk back in their chairs as a Chozo weapon that had been held in dread from every quadrant of the Universe and through time itself took the place of their Commander's right limb, it radiated death. Then dissipated away.

She was bombarded with questions. Questions that she attempted to give satisfying answers to; and others which she skillfully re-directed. Everyone had stood and crowded her once Aran informed them of the extent of her gambits, including the, 'a bit more than token', military and naval force she had assembled.

However, Aran did not tell them of Adam's existence or of her alien upbringing, wishing to keep such information for a privileged few when she knew she could count on their absolute trust and support.

Eventually, Aran could feel two camps developing and diverging over this revelation. Ashley seemed deeply suspicious of her Commander's motivations and - just the major implications of her very existence. She was joined by the marines Wahib Singh and Josh Fredericks. Yet for all their badly placed but understandable mistrust and ill concealed apprehension, the majority of the crew had simply allowed their regard and esteem for Aran to be ramped up to eleven by this proclamation.

"Oh, give me _strength_!" Hollered Ash rudely, while watching her team mates fall for Shepard's hidden bait. The others glared at her while Aran merely sat in the captain's chair that folded up from its hidden floor compartment, awaiting the inevitable abuse.

"Do we have a problem, here, Chief?" Snapped Jamie irritably, he for one didn't care whether his Commander was part alien or not, she had forged them through innumerable battles, she was still Humanity's first and only Spectre and he trusted her completely.

"No, no! Not unless you count the fact that our _exulted leader_ here is a walking crime book against the Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act!"

Vakarian was on his feet within a second: "Why don't you crawl back into whatever hole you -"

"Shut up, Garrus! I knew you'd -"

"Listen we all have to -"

"This is worse than those mutant zombies -"

"Stop fighting!"

"SILEEEENCE!" Roared Aran, causing all present to shut their traps.

"I see I'm going to have to tell you _all_ about my genetic enhancements; _if_ it will put the few fears to rest that I wont be sprouting two more arms or start to spit poison from my forked tongue."

Ashley sat down, disgruntled, while Aran spoke.

"_Now_, the best place to start my explanation is to tell all of you when I was born." This piqued the interest of all of the fourteen individuals who sat around her, almost as if they were listening to a jackanory session.

"My birth-date, was of the cosmic year ~ _2000 MXC, _though the official Galactic Star Date for Humanity, incidentally the only constant in all parallel Universes for some bizarre twist of creation; was the year_ 3000 GSD. _According to my astral chronometer the date would be closer to the year 200000 BCE in your terms; which is lucky for all of you, considering I have: A _perspective_, many would kill for..."_  
><em>

Both Liara and Karin realised that what little proof they had both uncovered, corroborated the Commander's story. Liara recognised the statement that Aran had used before and her mind's eye flashed back to one of the date's she had deciphered - _2784_... Aran was at least eight hundred years old!

Once Chakwas and T'Soni had related this circumstantial evidence to the others, Aran had to once again quieten a group outburst.

"Yes, I'm a lot older than I seem, it will come as a great shock no doubt, but as of the year I left my own timeline, the year was 4978 MXC. Which would make me as of last year... 2987 years old, not taking into account the time I've spent in cryo stasis or between worlds where time has even less meaning than relativity. And before you ask - no I _don't_ know the exact day I was born, that's something I'll never get back."

The crew grew solemn as Samus related how she had been fused with an alien DNA chirality right down to the very hard-coded data in her genes. Allowing her to breathe in toxic and oxygen rich environments, gain immunity over most harmful chemicals and acids, how her muscular, skeletal and assorted organs were laced with naturally occurring bio-fibers that were stronger and more flexible than carbon-steel titanium when it came to kinetic impacts. And how for all intents and purposes; she was effectively a trans-human.

"So let me get this straight," said Ashley. "You came to this Galaxy, renouncing your existence within your own time sphere; even with _all_ your power and wealth, because you - _felt_ like it?"

"It's not the first time I've done this."

"Really? So this is all some kind of big, cosmic joke to you?"

"Please, Ash. Try to understand things from my perspective."

"God no! No, I don't think I'll _ever_ be able to bring myself to do that. You are a_ mockery_ to Humanity, a mockery in the face of the almighty! What the hell is the reason for _us_ being here, when _you_ exist?"

Samus looked back mutely, knowing that she was having a predictable effect on Ashley's self-belief and religious conviction in the face of an immortal. It had happened before, it didn't make it any easier though for the huntress, acceptance was a two-way street and it could be blocked at any time.

"Nothing to say to all this, huh?" Raged Williams, Aran remained quiet and un-expressive.

"You don't fight back? You just sit there, mightier than thou art', conceiving yourself as our saviour when it's neither asked for or expected. Who the_ hell_ do you think you are! The second coming? Why don't you answer? Tell me! What gives you the _right_ to interfere in Human affairs, to forge our path all of a sudden while the rest of us scurry around like dumb-ass workers around a fucking queen bee!"

Samus finally stood, there was a tranquil fury behind her eyes that for a moment; caused Ashley to fear for her life. She knew that she had stepped over an important line and that she was likely to hear just a hint of the ancient being's wrath. What followed would change Ashley Williams's perspective till the end of her days even as Aran's shield cracked and beams of raw, unfettered anger issued from behind her usually cool and collected exterior.

"Because – IT DOESN'T MATTER! Not your religion, not your gilded tower morality, not one ounce of your GODDAMN SCORN, means anything to me. And do you know why? I've stared into the abyss, witnessed events so terrifying and so awe inspiring that to even infer them would drive you beyond the brink."

"So you think you're so fucking special? I've looked into the dark as well you know."

"We both have, the only difference between us – is that when you looked into that _dusk_ you call darkness; you blinked."

"There! You all saw that! If you're as old and wise as you say you are, then you should know that _arrogance_ comes before a fall. You swore an oath of service, to _Earth_... Does loyalty mean _nothing_ to you?"

"It means _everything_ to me. But unlike you, Ash. I don't carve one form of a truly pointless ideal, one as nonsensical as duty to a_ single race_; onto one rock! And claim that it is the _be-all_ and _end-all_ of morality. Morality," she scoffed, "morality... Is in right, _action_, every act I ever made, often went against my own beliefs, but that's what made them_ right_."

Ashley back pedaled, her face drawn and grim, "maybe that's so," she whispered, "or maybe you've just lived _too_ long." Then she and her two supporters stormed out of the Comm. room; Aran sighed in disappointment as her remaining friends consoled her and tried to act as they had in her presence the day before, as if such an earth-shattering secret was not that great a deal but just a simple show of trust, as Aran had meant for it to appear.

"Thank you, all of you. To me, every man and woman here is a beloved brother and sister in arms; now that you know who I am, I hope you can see that I'll never abandon any of you, not while I'm still breathing." She turned to each one, pronouncing their names exactingly as if they were vassals coming under her authority.

"Tali."

"Captain."

"Garrus."

"Commander."

"Shepard."

"Wrex."

Finally, she arrived at Liara.

"And what of you,_ Dr. T'Soni_, are you still with me?"

Liara exuded warmth and resolve.

"To the end."

* * *

><p>Aran exited the Comm. room with her allies at her back, only to be greeted by Ashley and the business end of a third generation P7 Kessler.<p>

"Chief! What the hell do you think you're doing!" Cried Kaidan in consternation, several of them tried to shield their Commander from Ashley's ire but Aran pushed them aside gently and walked closer to the Gunnery Chief. Ashley, suddenly realising the extent of her actions, backed away until they were all standing in the CIC, in front of nearly every member of the bridge staff.

The Chozo warrior could see Wahib and Josh being restrained by Russel and Tanaka while members of the bridge security cocked their own weapons at Ashley who was still pointing her silenced pistol at Aran's heart.

"You see," breathed the young woman fervently, "we don't _need_ another _hero_, or any other messiah willing to sacrifice herself for us all. You just want _your_ name to be held up as some kind of incarnate_ deity_!"

"I'd give all the money I earned in my life to be unknown, I never asked for this, Williams." Growled Aran, "but I've fought demi-gods and demons, phantasmagorical apparitions that you've only seen in your _nightmares,_ do you honestly think my song will end here? Killed by some Alliance soldier with a tarnished name!"

"I have a _good_ name! And it shall be remembered for the right reasons! Forever!" Ashley screamed.

"Only if you kill me!" Samus bellowed, drawing the Paralyzer from her hip holster and igniting the re-activated plasma sword, the crew gasped at the sight of the golden, intensely luminous bar of electro-ball plasma, suspended in nanoscopic, radiant magnetic fields that required more energy than a dreadnought's fusion reactor.

"Otherwise you're nothing!" She projected, throwing her hand-made gun-sword into the floor to embed itself, the energy blade didn't melt through the metal completely, considering it's charge could be minutely adjusted to that of a normal metal edge, or to that of a deadly lightsaber.

"Do you think you're the _first_ to try to kill me? Or the thousandth? Mm?" Samus marched forward, unbuckling her hard shield emitter and casting it off even as Ashley stumbled back, checking her shoulders and chalk-faced. Her gun wavering but still pointing at the Commander's chest.

"Well let me tell you something, _Williams_." She deactivated her omni tool and biotic barriers. Throwing away the one Simon Atwell had given to her that was clipped onto her right wrist. "The _Universe_ will not _allow_ my death by your feeble gun! My _forebears_ will not _allow_ me to die by a sword or be taken by the stars! _The_ _Gods_ will not allow me to pass in my sleep, ripe with age!"

Aran allowed Ash's gun to jam into her unprotected sternum, the last Metroid spread her arms in an entreaty.

"Plant your bullet here, Ashley Williams. Take my life!" Everyone watching the spectacle was entranced, Ash was visibly quailing now - she could not resolve herself, why wasn't the unstoppable warrior she knew even attempting to stop her?

"Someone! Give her a weapon or I'll - I'LL -" She switched off the safety and pulled the gun up to point it into Aran's right eye, holding it with both hands.

"You'll _what_?! Kill me? Well kill me, do it. Kill me! KILL ME!"

Aran's final screamed, nihilistic bird cry broke the eldest Williams daughter's spirit and she lowered her pistol, slumped her posture and collapsed to her knees, weeping. This sudden turn allowed the crew to take a collective breath of relief. Samus gazed down at her with an inscrutable expression to her features, before she calmly took the weapon and lifted Ashley's bowed head with the long snout of the hand gun to reveal her tear-streaked face.

"You know _why_ you can't kill me, my dear? Because I died many, many centuries ago, when I was _young_."

And with those words she tossed the pistol away which was caught by Pressly, security staff surged forward to put the three almost-mutineers in the brig.

"Leave them all," Aran commanded, horribly aware of what lengths her allies would go to if she so ordered them so. "It was just a misunderstanding. If they wish to leave, they can retire to the barracks before being dropped of on Cuervo and sent back home."

Williams, Fredericks and Singh all looked about warily as they were released, then they retired, each one refusing to meet Aran's eye.

Steeling herself, Samus pulled her sword free and it folded back into it's firearm form, then she took the command deck with two long strides, leaning on the bars as the crew collected around, she saw Tali gathering her discarded personal protection devices and reminded herself to thank her later.

"All hands, crew of the Normandy." Faces around her brightened, though some were apprehensive and filled with wonder, others still were down-cast, muttering. "No doubt, you all know by now, that I am not one of the _true_ Human race. I am - a _hybrid_ - a child of neither species." The muttering intensified.

"Yet I come before you, 'humbly, aware that, you have no great reason to accept me beyond my martial skill and my position as CO. _Know this_, I would die ten times over for every individual within this hull, that will never change, while your perspective may change regarding me, I will _never _yield my crew to any foe, not even those who betray me and forget my sacrifices, for I don't ask to be remembered as a Commander, or a hero. But as a woman, fallible and - _flawed_."

The crew were silent and some were actively leaving in shock or disgust, but the rest, the rest were beginning to chant her name quietly, applaud and even whoop. Aran was bolstered in her failing confidence when she saw all her alien allies keep their posts. Joker and Karin were also grinning in admiration, pleased with the humility of the living legend they were standing before and the literal legend they had fallen into.

"Those who wish to fight with me, I can promise you, our enemies will die _screaming_!" She flourished her omni tool and grew the holo projection of the Galaxy map until it filled the ceiling of the CIC. "Starting here!" She zoomed in on the Armstrong nebula, displaying the forces arrayed against them and her own small fleet under Hackett's command. "The Geth and Saren himself await us, here! The Eden Prime War, begins, here! Let them know how menacing we are, we are marines! We _will_ shut them down, because we _can_! And I will lead the attack from the fore, for every race, now until the end of time! Fly, with me! TO YOUR BATTLE STATIONS! AND TO VICTORY!

"HUAH! HUAH! HUAH!" Chorused the crew of Normandy, Joker had an unquenchable fire in his eyes as he took his crutches and led the other ensigns to the cockpit, other bridge staff leapt into their chairs and dialed their haptic interfaces to prepare for combat telemetry while their Commander, their Captain, their leader: Samus Aran directed the other officers for FTL re-entry into the Hong system and their rendezvous with the Alliance, to wage the war's first space battle.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, the Geth Incursions UNC Side mission will be quite different I'm sure you'll all be glad to know.** **I've re-named the Cerberus project as the Keres Cell mentioned in earlier chapters, instead of Charon. Charon was the original Sol relay, 'guarded' through Harper's manifesto by the legendary three-headed canine metaphor. So it seemed rather unimaginative in hindsight.**

**Now that I'm on imagination overdrive, see you next week! Thanks to all who R&R, any questions, I'm free to answer.  
><strong>


	27. I Send my Scourge, I Send my Sword,

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back with my usual sized chapters of at least four thousand words for now, Noveria will be another large segment after the following update which will be after this chapter... So the chapter after next, in shorter words, sorry bout' that. Will Aran commit one of her favourite pastimes of justified genocide? Or shall I actually make saving the Rachni queen _worth_ something in my canon; what do _you_ think? **

**(Recommended music to listen to during reading: _Riddle of Steel_ for the quiet moments and _Riders of Doom_ for the bombastic battle moments! From the _Conan the Barbarian_ OST on YouTube; if it's not already on your playlists, then make sure they are!)  
><strong>

_"Fire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky. But Crom is your god, Crom and he lives in the Earth. Once giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered; and the Earth shook. Fire and wind struck down these giants - and they threw their bodies into the waters, but in their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield. _

_We who found it - are just _men_. Not gods. Not giants. _Just men_. The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its _riddle_, little Conan. You must learn its _discipline_. For no one - no one in this world can you trust - Not men, not women, not beasts... (Conan's father lofts and points at his newly-forged Cimmerian blade.) _'This'_ you can trust."_

_(Corin Nialson)  
><em>

**I Send my Scourge, I Send my Sword,**

The Normandy snap-flashed into existence nought point three parsecs from the planet Casbin and arced toward the modest Alliance fleet awaiting them. There were five heavy cruisers and nineteen, going on twenty frigates, excluding the SR-1 for the time being. Five groups of four acting as escorts for the cruisers. And at their rear. Hackett's flagship, the Everest class dreadnought, the _SSV Annapurna._

A major Geth presence was on the surface of the Sanctuary World, but it was their own small armada of cruisers, fighters, frigates and drop ships that hovered near the upper atmosphere, (itself, trailing through the flaming debris of a long-period comet), that posed the clearest and most present threat.

Aran put on an ear-phone mic. and opened a communications channel with the Admiral from her position on the command deck, overlooking all.

"Sir, this is Commander Shepard, reporting in."

_"Aran, well if you aren't a sound for sore ears; we're in need of your Geth killing expertise."_

"On it, just tell me where to situate the Normandy and we'll punch a hole through their front ranks."

_"You'll be with Wolf Pack Stirling, lead the squadron down the right flank, Wolf Pack Verdun will precede you and Wolf Pack Midway will carve the path for Annapurna."_ The flotilla's guarding the left flank were the Wolf Pack's Gettysburg and Monte Cassino. Together, the five-point attack position was a symmetrical and awe-inspiring sight.

Joker brought his baby into position, at the head of the vertical tri-formation of her sister frigates, all resplendent in silver, black and red war paint. Covering the bow of their respective cruiser, the SSV Beijing.

_"SR Alpha 1, this is SV Omega 9, standing by."_

_"SV Lambda 5, standing by._

_"SV Upsilon 3, standing by."_

"SR Alpha 1, standing by. Let's drive them out, gentlemen."

_"Roger that, we'll follow your lead Normandy, God speed."_ The fleet moved into position, surfing the space currents and double checking all drive core discharge levels to ensure that the ship-to-ship combat to come wouldn't be a short-lived affair.

"Chief... Ashley," notified Aran over her mouth piece, there was a moment's pause, then:

_"Yeah?" _

"Whatever grievances you have with me, put them aside. You are_ still_ the standing Gunnery Officer on this boat and I _order_ you to prep the torpedo bays and GARDIAN laser banks, _now_."

"...Aye aye, Skipper." Ashley related ashamedly, then she flicked the control switches and turned the key locks to open up the ordinance silos, Garrus was along side her as well, keeping an eye on her no doubt. Both of them crawled through the station tunnels located past the sleeper pods, Vakarian having some difficulty since the shafts were made to accommodate a Human frame and he was forced to discard his outer-armour. They climbed the access ladders to the artillery controls and took their seats; priming targeting algorithms and warming up Normandy's twin, nose-mounted disruptor torpedo cannons and wing-mounted GARDIAN lasers.

Down below, Greg and Tali directed the engineering crew to maintain an optimal cruising speed and temperature diffusion. Wrex took a nap.

Non-essential, battle personnel strapped themselves into security harnesses and the ceiling emergency lights blinked on in case of a loss of artificial gravity. Exo-pack re-breathers and other emergency oxygen masks were broken out.

On the command deck, Aran cricked her neck and flexed her fingers against the rail before gripping it tightly once more.

"All right everyone, let's make this mission brief. I want to be home in time for dinner," she announced. "Joker, current vectors and relative enemy positions, go."

_"Normandy: Pitch +9, roll +82, yaw -18. Enemy: Pitch +35, roll + 60, yaw +13. Relative speed 2000 m/s." _

"Course correction, halve our speed, pitch -15, yaw -13. Stay close on our tail, Omega 9." Aran's barked orders were relayed to every bridge officer, all of whom made lightning fast estimates in their calculations with the help of real-time VI simulation. The Geth would be doing the same, though they could communicate at the speed of light, they didn't have organic flair for unexpected variables.

"Commander! We've got incoming!" Yelled one of the ensigns, sure enough, even as Normandy and the Stirling Wolf Pack flotilla carved a course between a swarm of Geth fighters, Hackett released their own fighters from the Annapurna's deployment hold like the old naval air carriers of the 20th century. Three Geth drop ships released a barrage of warp-fire torpedoes through the void of space.

_"Compensating!" _Shouted Joker as he performed several daring manoeuvres, but the SMART missiles tracked Normandy's glaring heat signature.

"Ballistic countermeasures." Spat Aran, Garrus and Ashley did their part, priming the omni-directional, infra-red rays of invisible energy. "Sectors ten, twelve and two." The blue-highlighted beams lanced through every offending cigar-shaped warhead, reducing them to flaring memories of chemical expansion.

Alpha 1, Lambda 5, Upsilon 3 and Omega 9 all got into the thick of the foray. Weaving between the Geth frigates and shooting down any rockets that came near, they were almost at the fabled 'knife-fight' range, practically touching the opposing vessels they were so close. Joker wasn't _'the best damned helmsman in the Alliance fleet'_ for nothing, effectively cutting off the gestalt AI wasp ships in their tracks as he rounded them, slipping through limpet mines and explosions galore.

"All frigates, break off and engage, I repeat, engage," Aran informed them, the tenseness palpable, for there was no sound of war beyond the frenzied relaying of commands within Normandy's walls. "Joker, sit-rep!"

_"These suckers are asking for it! Normandy: Pitch +20, roll +30, yaw 0. Enemy: Pitch +35, roll +60, yaw -13."_

Aran had six, four hundred figure long, beamed statistics given to her on the Galaxy Map, she scanned them all within three seconds. Then she made the most logical decision that came to mind in the heat of battle. "Upsilon 3, cover us! We're going in! Maintain course, pitch +55, roll +90, yaw +13."

Those adjustments made the combat telemetry read: pitch 0, roll 0, yaw 0 as they broad-sided a large Geth frigate, nearly twice Normandy's size, the SR-1 was directly behind it, beyond the reach of their Ultra violet GARDIAN laser defence grid and facing it's most vulnerable spot.

Samus narrowed her eyes, "fire."

Four, blue trailing disruptor torpedoes issued forth from Normandy's snout and fizzed through the chinks in the frigate's ablative plates, warping time and space itself as the metal glowed rose, then a brilliant orange - and tore itself apart under the extreme forces that pulled at its very molecules. There was a flash of violet, electrical light as the enemy ship detonated in a massive but momentary fireball as the vacuum consumed it. Leaving the Normandy to soar through the blast, pulling the sparkling detritus in her wake.

Although the right and central prongs of the attack were ploughing forward, Gettysburg and Monte Cassino were being hard pressed. There were two explosions as the same number of Alliance frigates met their cold end.

"Fighters, co-ordinate on Monte Cassino's position, seek and destroy." Hackett's friendly flock left the right flank to bolster the left's failed charge, which left Normandy open to retaliation from the enemy swarm. The super-structure of the ship rocked as siege pulses were deflected by the kinetic barriers.

"Shields holding at 70%," called Pressly as everyone staggered from the tremors and non-critical lighting flickered ominously.

_"They're on our tail, I can't shake them!" _Joker yelled.

"Stay on them, quarter speed and let them have a taste of Hellium-3 afterburners." Advised Aran, sure enough, Jeff managed to slow the Normandy until the fighters were caught in the wake of her chemical jets, they melted like wax under an industrial radiator and were blown out of the sky.

_"Commander Shepard!"_ Hackett's voice crackled over her ear piece, _"belay any and all combat instructions, the Annapurna is being dealt heavy damage from those damn Geth fighters that got through, if we lose weapons functionality, we'll never be able to deal with those larger cruisers!"_

"Wolf Pack's, reform the line. Let's cut through these metal bastards." Alpha and her three allies barrel-rolled back and up through the enemy formation, the dark spaces blazing with mass rounds, torpedoes, pulses and the odd ray of violet or blue laser beams.

"Co-ordinate! Staggered disruptor release at twenty degree alternating angles, at three sixty degree oscillations," informed Aran to her comrades, rifling through the VI data her controllers sent her way with her eidetic memory. It was a similar technique she had used when scanning enemy units or dangerous fauna with her visor's IPU, time seemed to stand still when she brought her brilliant mind to bear.

There was a kaleidoscope pattern of torpedoes released, a Catherine-wheel of perfectly executed death that managed to break the Geth's now confused ranks and destroy several more vessels; unfortunately it left their rear unprotected as they raced back to their only dreadnought.

_"This is Upsilon 3, we're being swamped, they're all over us!"_

"We need to help them, Commander!" Said Pressly harshly.

"Negative, we break formation now and it's all over, Upsilon 3, tie them up for us; we'll come back for you."

"...I_ don't think that's going to happen, Normandy. Give them hell for us."_

The Alliance space vehicle disengaged from the formation and led the fighters back in a merry chase, tangling the right flank more, until the Geth ships were a floating in all directions, no sense of order or planning. Yet the fighters managed to clamp onto the allied frigate like parasitic organisms, drilling through the armour and boarding her.

Alpha, Lambda and Omega blasted their way back to Hackett's flagship, strafing the port side of the kilometer long vessel with GARDIAN fire and removing any of the Geth ticks. Once they had completed a full circuit of the Annapurna this allowed Hackett to open up a can of whoop-ass with 50mm wide accelerator cannons on both stern and port sides, ripping apart any that dared get too close.

_"Much appreciated, Wolf Pack Stirling." _Said Hackett tiredly._ "Verdun and Midway have nearly made it through, but we've got five Geth cruisers on stanascope, they're making straight for us at twelve o' clock and we're not about to let Upsilon's sacrifice go to waste, give us time to get our main gun on target with that pile-up you've made for us - and we can break this army here and now." _

"Affirmative, Admiral. Joining with the remnants of Wolf Pack Gettysburg and Monte Cassino." The Normandy and her two remaining sibling ships joined the four ships that were able to pull away safely from active combat. The seven-point constellation of frigates, three on either side, and at their head; the Normandy SR-1 leading the charge.

All of them sped towards the larger and more dangerous Geth cruisers, trying to buy Hackett the precious few minutes needed to turn the 2 million tonne ship fifty degrees to the right. They intercepted the torpedo barrage and used their greater maneuverability to harry and whittle down the shields of the cruisers bit by bit.

"No dice, get us in close Joker, right down their throats!"

_"This is going to get messy, Commander."_

"And we'll all be dead if we don't take the initiative; Ash, Garrus, fire everything!"

The Normandy arced downwards, heading on an intercept trajectory for the drooping head of the solid cruiser. Within fifteen hundred metres the SR-1 loosed around twenty torpedoes, in ripple waves to confuse the GARDIAN defence network it was trying to penetrate. Five were blown away, the next ten fared slightly better, four got through, sparkling as the ship's barriers flickered then failed; and the final five sunk through metal and erupted in fantastic electric blue clouds of released eezo radiation.

The front of the cruiser disintegrated in a rain of detritus and cobalt fire as the Normandy swerved to avoid the blazing hulk, shrapnel was flung out from the dying carcass.

"Everyone, hold onto something, BRACE!" Roared Aran as the parts of Geth machinery, traveling at terminal velocity, peppered the hull in vengeance.

Normandy's mass effect fields reverberated through the electrical systems upon impact, the drive core flaring in complaint as consoles shorted out in a spray of sparks, combustion took its place as they overloaded and several of the bridge staff were sent flying.

Aran herself was pitched back and over the stand's railing, crashing into poor Jamie and falling together in a confusing heap. Wires and other cables hung free from the ceiling and the lighting failed and resumed three times before it resumed, flickering all the while.

There was a heavy groan, then a hiss as partial decompression began at a broken refrigeration patch on the CIC's ceiling. Pressly was lying against one of the dual-bar pillars, a nasty gash in his temple, even as a support girder cracked, and with a metallic screech, came loose and descended on him like the sword of Damocles.

Aran leapt _through_ the central row of consoles, phasing out of existence and becoming intangible such was the speed of her biotic charge, evolution had caught up with her, she could act like the Phazon Metroids which had possessed similar abilities to enter the 4th dimension and transition between them.

She caught Pressly and rolled with him out of the way, just as the girder crashed through the floor. It would have impaled him beyond any hope of rescue or medical attention, not that the wound would have been enough. But now it was all that stood between the occupants of the Normandy and complete, explosive, decompression.

_"Sealant compromised!"_ Joker informed shrilly, "_get someone up from engineering, now!"_

"Negative, I've got this." Replied Aran as she helped Pressly to his feet and brushed his lapels. Then she took a breath and held it, before bounding on to the support turned diagonal, the Paralyzer morphed in her hand, switching to its lethal setting and becoming a plasma welder. A few seconds of work and Aran had fused the hole shut with a cherry glow of molten slag; using only her free hand to protect herself from the flying embers and the -273 °C jet of contrasting pressure gas.

After Samus had jumped down she raised a hand to her ear: "Adams, how are we doing down there?"

_"IES sinks are still functioning, all life-support is in working order and the core is running stable, Tali's a miracle worker down here!"_

"Williams, weapons check." She continued, joining the staff by the consoles and helping to decipher the read-outs at the same time.

_"It's all good, no bogies in sight, let's make another round before our friends are torn apart."_

"Three cruisers left, Commander," Pressly informed her dutifully. "But only Lambda and two others are still responding with their IFF codes."

"Shields recharged Ma'am!"

"Turn this boat around, Joker, hard a starboard. We're going to draw some enemy fire, give them the space to regroup with Wolf Pack Verdun and Midway, we're too near the blast zone." Sure enough, the Annapurna had completed her nominal shift and now primed its kilometer long gun to _really_ ruin the Geth's day.

_"All ships,"_ warned Hackett, _"vacate the premises!"_ Two beats, then - _"FIRE!"_ The dreadnought loosed a twenty kilogram slug past the backdrop of the Universe.

It was a simple, quick orange beam, resembling a tracer bullet that lit the space between the massive ship and the space-jam of Geth toys. Within a blink, the almost understated, silent shot collided with them; and the collection of ships were reduced to base atoms in a nuclear firestorm. Such was its brightness that the bones in Joker's hands were illuminated as he spun Normandy to face the other way, the edges of the fission reaction shining into the view port. In fact, the round consumed thirty ships, fighters, frigates, drop ships and all. But there was still the matter of the cruisers. All of which pursued the fleeing Normandy.

"Taking fire."

"Shield integrity at 59%"

_"Orders Commander?"_

"Wait."

"47%!"

"_Wait_." A fusillade of siege pulses struck the port side and ripped through the CIC's floor, in the same manner as a disruptor round - it caused minimal kinetic barrier damage on it's own but bypassed into the interior nonetheless at a reduced power out-put. Knocking a few of the crew unconscious through concussion and electrical shocks while causing several others to fall through the weakened metal and become ensnared in the nitrogen tubing. Aran had tumbled half-way in and was pulling up crewman Dubyansky; even though her own shoulder was on fire. It was not until everyone was extracted from the pit that she patted the flames out with her bare hand.

_"We're at 21%, Shepard! suggesting _extreme_ evasive measures!"_

"Wait!" Aran ordered loudly, her gamble paid off. The cruisers were caught from behind by the newly re-united Verdun, Midway, Stirling, Monte Cassino and Gettysburg Wolf Packs, now a complete flotilla again. Together, there was still more than ten ships and from the front, covering Normandy, were around forty remaining Alliance fighters; and all five of their own cruisers; the Geth heavy vessels didn't stand a leper's chance at social acceptance as they were ripped apart in just two runs.

The crew cheered as the Geth fleet was all but obliterated. The remaining ships fleeing the system and leaving the ground complex on the planet's surface unprotected for the Alliance's taking.

"Good work people," said Aran as she re-took the command deck, _"_first round's on me tonight._" _

Suddenly there was a hail from the Annapurna, Samus answered it: _"Shepard, we have a problem."_ Hackett announced grimly.

From the Vamshi system they came, twenty cruisers exited FTL on the right side of the solar system, guarding two formidable Geth dreadnoughts alongside another force of drop ships.

"_Aw, crap!"_ Squealed Joker, they were really outgunned now.

_"All remaining ships, withdrew to the mass relay, we can't fight that and live." _Hackett ordered, they had lost seven frigates in the first skirmish, leaving only nineteen of the original twenty six vessels left. What remained was no match for the Geth reinforcements arrayed against them.

But at that very moment, Aran pressed a button on her omni tool, signaling Adam and the waiting Trybondian forces to make their way into open waters.

"_Commander! Don't you think we should like, high-tail it - now?_" Asked Joker.

_"_This is a _Spectre vessel_, Jeff. _Hold_, if they want fireworks, I'll give them_ fireworks_."

"_I don't under –_"

_"_Anomalies detected!_"_ Pressly relayed excitedly, "they don't match any known profiles!"

From a nameless, undiscovered star, billions of miles away from any mass relay; a token of Aran's fleet appeared out of nothing. Slipping out of time-warp portals in a display of unimagined brilliance.

The three AT-770 Ragnarok-class battleships dwarfed the Geth cruisers, they were nearly dreadnought sized at eight hundred metres long and two fifty metres in vertical volume dimensions. Modeled after GFS Capital ships, they had an extruding shield generator underneath that was as tall as the Eiffel Tower, generating a gluino exclusion field that repulsed all projectiles.

Their hull markings were Chozo, elegant, globular and curved like the dunes of a desert, information tracks and other neural pathways laced the ship's armour with a vast network of binary streams. Afloraltite sub-light drive powered them through space at eighty thousand metres a second, heading to engage the Geth.

"Who are – _they_?" Spluttered Joker in awe as the vessels passed Casbin at speed, eventually deciding to slow to fifty, thirty, twenty, ten, five thousand. "No ship can move like that..." He breathed, terrified that these behemoths were capable of outrunning the Normandy any day of the week. If they were _that_ fast, what did that mean for craft of a similar size, or their fighters for that matter?

At his thought, Adam released the battleship's entire supplementary force of one hundred and fifty Sidewinder Mk. XXVIII's to deal with the cruisers; it was like comparing a school of fish to a pack of orca where the divergent fairness, technology-wise and their comparable ranking in the food-chain were concerned. Joker trusted Shepard, he believed in her and had followed her because she had not led them astray; but witnessing such military might was indeed terrifying, he was glad Ash couldn't see this as she would have demanded where these mechanical monsters had been during the attack on Eden Prime.

Samus observed the LADAR scans of the nearby free-scale slaughter with a detached air. Ship-board galvanic beams ran the edge of single unit yottawatts, directed energy that was quite simply, irresistible and unstoppable.

The pulsating viridian plasma rays sheared through the Geth vessels like hot knives through butter, scattering them to the four quadrants in less time than it took for the Alliance war party to re-group.

Within thirty seconds, Casbin was ringed with the wrecks of the Geth fleet, from where they joined the comet trails as they entered the atmosphere, the Trybondian ships went back into their defensive formation and as one, jumped to the Vamshi system via, warp speed instantaneously.

Immediately the radio's of every ship burst into activity, effectively jammed from too many streams, this was the greatest discovery since the Mars Archives. A new race of friendly sentients with technology far beyond their own! They were interrupted by Hackett, loudly. _"DESISIT! This is Admiral Hackett, here. Activating covert directive 004795, all channels of communication outside this cluster are suspended, effective immediately, anyone disobeying this order will have to answer to me, personally. That is all."_

Hackett was silent for a few moments, as were the CO's of the other vessels. _"Commander Shepard, you have clearance to dock with the Annapurna, our colleagues will deal with the outpost."_

* * *

><p>Aran stood by Hackett on the bridge of the impressive dreadnought as the Alliance descended on the world, with three back-up dreadnoughts, (the SSV Triglav, Snowdon and Carrauntoohil,) ready for further defence. It was only down to her connections with the Council that had allowed such a large scale, not to mention, illegal operation. That and the fact that the Geth needed to be stopped before their insurrection became a full-blown invasion.<p>

"So you told your crew the truth," began Steven casually.

"Yes, the rumour will spread throughout the Galaxy, reputation can go a long way in all manner of negotiation."

"Even then, it's unhealthy publicity, something you already have too much of."

"Perhaps - with great risks come greater rewards. I'm not some craven criminal that will hide forever. Many will ignore it as outlandish propaganda, even within my own Universe I was often considered an urban legend; by those I worked for, sometimes. And _sometimes_, a hint of the truth is a more powerful weapon than the whole secret."

"I agree with you, of course. But the public, military _and_ the Galaxy at large; shouldn't know. Not now, not ever. I'm still surprised you didn't have a mutiny on your hands when you announced your origins. Me and Anderson nearly had a fit, remember?"

"Very well, only Nihlus wasn't perturbed; _huh_, he was one of the best men I ever knew, and now I'm hunting his mentor."

"Life it seems, is not without a sense of irony." Hackett concurred.

"It would be a boring world without such destine humour."

"...I never asked, but - _why_ are you helping us, Aran?" Samus was silent, looking out into space somewhere past the yellow star of Hong.

"Because the Universe is an _extraordinary_ machine, twisting and turning and boiling over and drowning in moments _unending_." Hackett pondered her words carefully, then turned to her and saluted before she could walk away, Aran gave him the slightest of nods and left. Followed by the hushed whispers of Hackett's crew, muttering things like: "Crazy / She's dangerous / Put's the damn Protheans to shame / Who would believe / Outsider / Mercenary / Alien..."

* * *

><p>That evening, the Alliance celebrated their hard-won victory over the Geth in the Hong and Vamshi Systems, as reports had made it to the Brass that two enemy fleets had been utterly destroyed that day. They also laid to rest their fallen comrades in a small informal ceremony before the coffins and their dog tags were shipped home. Aran had paid for the crew's tabs at the local cantina on Casbin's solitary small spaceport in the mountains. She stood on a high precipice, her long coat billowing around her as she beheld the yellow and black sky above. Down below, marines wearing full hard suits because of the thin nitrogen  oxygen atmosphere scampered around, prepping craft and other machines of war.

She sat on a large boulder and began to inspect the Paralyzer with a critical eye, especially the melee functions. She activated the plasma sword setting and spun the pommel idly, the point set in the young earth. The golden lightsaber retracted and was replaced with an actual Denzium blade that materialised via its skew-dimensional matter sheath.

The length of nigh indestructible, ever-sharp, anti-matter forged carbon steel had spark machined vines engraved down the fuller and a beautiful set of calligraphic signs carved into the rain guard and central ridge but it was far from a ceremonial device.

Aran closed the pocket myriad with a pressed button and put the Chozo weapon aside, she crouched on her haunches and took up a sod of the soil that had been shaken loose. She rubbed it between finger and thumb, letting it trail off the cliff and be caught in the solar wind, even _she_ would never live to see this pre-garden world support life, that in itself was a truly momentous statement when considering temporal existence.

From up the mountain path, Ashley and Liara reached the summit, both in full sealed armour on the ninety nine degree surface. Aran was training her nano-crystular stasis field once more under less duress and her clothes were unstable molecule versions from the zero suit's vast morphing banks, ensuring they didn't catch on fire.

"Skipper, we were all wondering where you ran off to..."

"Indeed," came the quiet response.

"I - _we_ were worried about you," said Liara, a fumble that Williams picked up on, she looked at the pair inquisitively then shrugged.

"None of _my_ business, look, Commander. I'll make this up to you, I promise, I have forgiveness to ask." Her head bowed in shame.

"No - you _don't_," Aran assured the Phoenix-clad marine, she stood and walked to her, placing both hands on her pauldrons. "I said a terrible thing to you, your name is the blood of courage, what your grandfather did on Shanxi was - _difficult_."

"But true, for_ me_. I'm not _like_ my grandad. I was a _coward_, with a gun. You should have court-martialed me and had me drummed out of your cohort at the very least."

"You're strong-willed and you speak your mind, qualities I admire. So I'm happy for you to remain with the Normandy as long as you wish and_ if_ you leave, you can expect a note of recommendation from me, with a Spectre's word on your side, I'll make damn sure you'll be able to get your commission at last."

Ashley couldn't help but embrace her Commander, Samus returned the hug gently to the smaller woman as Liara looked on, smiling.

"I'm not going anywhere, Skipper. Though I'd appreciate it if you wore armour on a planet like this, you scare the men, and _me_. Before you know it they'll be cults springing up around you!" She laughed with some difficulty.

"I'll try, Ash. We move out at 0700, make sure the troops get enough bunk time. By the way, speaking of Shanxi, I need your help in looking into the POW files regarding the Turians and Humans who were taken, it may help us trace Saren."

"Aye aye, Skipper. Thanks for everything, with you on our side, we _can't_ lose."

Liara stood alongside Aran and held her arm comfortingly, attempting to impart some measure of peace on the chaos to come.

* * *

><p>Back in the temporary quarters, Normandy was in a dry-dock having some of her superficial scrapes repaired. In seclusion, Liara attempted to decipher the Prothean vision through another mind melding session with Aran. It was difficult, Aran's personality and memories often overpowered the beacon's message and from what Liara could discern, the transcript was too badly damaged to make any coherent sense.<p>

"Arterius must be after _another_ beacon, why else would he attack Eden Prime? He already knew the path, maybe we've been stumbling backwards all this time..." Mused Aran sourly.

"I doubt that, Samus. It is more likely that he already gained a beacon's location from the Reaper ship, Sovereign. Then worked his way to Eden Prime, even if he knows the location of the Conduit, it would have to be on a forgotten Prothean world - long lost from the actively cataloged relay network. Beyond even his reach."

"Hmm, I hadn't thought of it that way, good call." Aran stood and as she passed her lover, gave her a soft kiss on the brow, while Liara reciprocated by stroking her upper arm.

Samus stopped by her organised files and checked over them: "The STG regiment Bau helped me deploy in the Terminus should be able to find Saren's base of operations, but we still have to track down Cerberus, they're linked to that Turian traitor's research, after we leave the Armstrong Nebula, we're heading for Edolus."

"Let us hope we will find some of Admiral Kahoku's men alive and well."

"I hope so too, otherwise Hade's dog is going to be put down, _hard_."

Aran languidly, leaned against the wall and removed a long-stemmed pipe from a wooden carved box that lay on the desk next to her. Like the butt and grip of her pistol, the pipe was made of Cyrlic wood from the Zebesian equatorial jungles and hand-etched with many runes. She packed some herbs, which were of a similar origin, within the bowl. The blend of ingredients were similar to the breathing poultices that Chozo warriors inhaled through their ornamental masks to increase perception and enter a battle trance, though Aran forewent most of these more useful plants for the time being and instead administered a highly toxic spice of the Aetherian Blue root, one of the few 'tobacco' derivatives that could give her a soothing buzz.

She struck a match pulled from her breast pocket against her jeans and lit the pipe. Taking a slow, long drag and letting the cyan smoke rings coil around her head, the added bonus was that such a poison effectively increased her resistance to even more lethal toxins. She used her biotics to stop any second-hand fumes from escaping too far away from her.

Liara turned around in her chair, arms over the back rest: "Be careful, my love. You're a woman who makes people _afraid_, and often that's more dangerous than it's worth."

Aran gestured with the stem of her pipe dismissively, "It's what people know about themselves _inside;_ that makes them afraid."

* * *

><p>Several of the Normandy's crew were in the sick bay due to the attacks that had made it through her shields. Pressly himself had really suffered from the vacuum breach right above him, the cold had sapped his immunity and given him a raging fever that had devolved into a relapse of childhood chickenpox!<p>

Therefore, instead of taking part in frontal assaults from orbit, Normandy made stealth drops on the Geth-held worlds of Antibaar, Maji and Rayingri while Hackett led the main fleet in. Cutting electrical supply lines, hitting shield generators and demolishing neural hubs. Often the fleets were found in disarray, signaling that the Trybondian ships had passed through before them.

After a week's worth of repulsing the invaders, a final outpost was detected on the moon of Solcrum in the Grissom System. Like before, Normandy, along with three teams of N6 graduates from Rio, dropped in behind enemy lines and took out key installations.

The ground assault was a protracted and ugly affair. It took the Alliance twelve fielded regiments of M57 Sirenia Tanks, A-71 Nesoxypilus V-TOL aircraft and M35 Mako Rovers, along with copious amounts of infantry, to route out the primary research outpost, which were heavily defended by Colossi and drop ships.

In full N7 armour, Samus Aran and the men and women she'd trained and shaped; infiltrated the complex while the two opposing armies engaged in a long-range artillery / shock and bomb campaign - and put it to the sword. As the last Geth fell, Aran heard the faint sound music from across the room. On a selection of holographic monitors beaming a live transmission, an unmasked Quarian stood before a hushed crowd, warbling a mournful a Capella of worlds and innocence lost. The record was dispatched to the Geth worlds behind the Perseus Veil.

Then the transmitter shut itself down. **(Long live Drew Karpyshyn! - Ed) **Samus was befuddled at such a show of, well, 'culture' from the animalistic automatons. Perhaps it wasn't from the Geth that were led by Saren - but the Geth that had remained behind the Veil, it didn't take a genius to know that this _couldn't_ be the full military might of a race that had spent generations building up it military stockpiles; while free of the burdens of a civilian economy, Samus bore testament to the things that could be achieved in a thirtieth of that time.**  
><strong>

Aran, Tali, Kaidan and Fredericks got to work, stripping the command centre of any useful Intel. Samus wordlessly gave the young Pilgrim the (over three hundred years old), video recording and was rewarded with silent gratitude in return. Then, she got to work in recovering encrypted Geth files from their flashed mainframe. Reconstructing the data was child's play for one with access to Chozo software and programming techniques, as the upload commenced, a holo-image of Saren Arterius faded in from a pedestal at the end of a server hub corridor.

_"Shepard,"_ he called in a harsh voice, prompting her four teams to spin their firearms towards the disturbance, Aran waved them down and walked slowly up the path, pressing a seamless button on her helmet so that it cracked open, unsealed and retracted into her kinetic barrier and oxygen backpack; she wanted to face him eye to eye.

_"Don't bother tracing this call, Shepard, the Geth have been most useful in keeping me hidden from the cyber-investigators within our organisation."_

Aran couldn't help but notice how much the man had been 'modified', since she had met him in 81'. Shiala had hinted as much, but he was practically more machine than man, with his prosthetic eyes and right arm, his hide, once white, now had a metallic luster as if it were coated in a chrysalis version of her non-Newtonian fluid formula.

"You _used_ to be a Spectre, Arterius. But no more, what do you want?"_  
><em>

_"To congratulate a worthy foe, but even you should realise that my plan goes _far beyond_ killing Humans. This is a hollow victory; for you and your allies."  
><em>

"What is the Conduit?" Aran asked suddenly, not attempting to engage in wordplay, Saren was a psycho and she knew how to string his kind along._  
><em>

_"The Conduit is the key to your destruction - and my salvation, let us leave it at that. But tell me, Shepard. Don't the visions just crush you with the helpless _insurmountability_ of the task ahead of you? Can weapons and will alone - save you from the coming storm?"_

"There's no future save for what we make for ourselves, traitor. You killed my people, you killed my friend, you killed your _own student_! I'll _prove_ to you, _Saren_. Both at once and at the same time, that steel isn't strong, _flesh_ is stronger, what is steel compared to the hand that wields it? The strength of imposing our own values on this morally blank world? But you don't even have your original hatred left do you? _You _have the power to forge steel and corrupt flesh, but I have the potential to both _break_ steel and _temper_ flesh, I power you'll _never_ know."

_"Poetic, but once again, you miss the point. The Reapers _will_ return, it is inevitable! Now you can understand why I didn't come forward with this to the Council. We organics are driven by _emotion_, instead of logic. We will fight, even when we _know_ we cannot win. And if you seek to erode my own will, I can tell you, you will _not_ succeed! Sovereign's powers of indoctrination are mine _alone_ to command!"_

"That's why the Geth follow you, isn't it?"

_"Very good, Shepard, yes. The Geth believe Sovereign to be some kind of god. The pinnacle of their own evolution. Of course, the Reapers themselves would be insulted at such pitiful devotions. They are just tools, and no amount of belief on their part will change that. But as tools they are useful, they will survive the coming invasion. If organic life is to survive, we must also prove we are useful. We must _work with_ the Reapers. Join me, Shepard."_

"I wouldn't work with you, in the torture pits of_ hell!_" Aran roared, pulsing with biotic energy, she slammed her warp fist into the panel and obliterated the projection, then she proceeded to rip out the severs or crumple them with flailing fists and beating hands. Lightning arced off her body and from her eyes glowed indigo and cyan plasma as her rampage laid waste to the room - even the parts she didn't directly inhabit; like an invisible trampling T-Rex of mass effect fields tore along in her wake. The dust cleared. The crew saw Samus adopt a standing 'gather' motion inwards towards her head then a semi-circle move outwards to place her clenched fists at her side; a calming meditation technique. Her eyes snapped open.

"That felt good."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next time, can the crew of the Normandy deal with an entire Thresher Maw nest?! And begin the long road to bring Cerberus down? Wrex and Samus say, fuck yeah!  
><strong>


	28. Thus Saith the Lord

**A/N: I've been a bit under the weather, so forgive me for the slight delay everyone. I've decided to skip the next planned chapter after this to head straight to Noveria, which may be split into two parts as well, now that I think about it. Port Hanshan and Peak 15. The surprise sequence will have to wait till later but I can tell you that it is a big salute to the first KOTOR and based on one of my favourite choices in the game...**

_"There was once a sculptor, and he found this stone, this special stone. He dragged it home and he worked on it for months until he finally finished it. When he was ready, he showed it to his friends and they said: that he had created a great _statue_._ _The sculptor said he hadn't created anything, the statue was always there. He just cleared away the small pieces... _We_ didn't make you this fighting machine, we just chipped away the rough edges. You're always going to be_ tearing away_ at yourself until you come to terms with what you are - Until you come _full circle_."_

_(Samuel Trautman)  
><em>

"_Not everyone is suited to this line of work. The prospect of outsized profits leads people to exaggerate their own capabilities. In their minds, they pretend to themselves that they are in control of events, where perhaps they are not. And it is always one's stance upon uncertain ground that invites the attentions of one's enemies; or discourages it."  
><em>

_(Anton Chigurh)_

**Thus Saith the Lord**

Abrudas Dynerus entered the office on the seventieth floor with a view over the glittering skyline of Cipritine, coupled with the open lowlands and the mangrove swamp bayou beyond. Copses of silver trees, gas flares, pale in the day. When the female Turian, (a retired Lieutenant in the Palaven paramilitary forces, revered throughout the Galaxy as the Blackwatch,) arrived; her superior told her to come in and shut the door. He didn't even turn around. He could see Abrudas in the glass. The Lieutenant shut the door and stood with her hands crossed before her at the wrist. The way a funeral director might stand.

The man finally turned and looked at her, he was an impressive male specimen of the Turian race, one of the few who had backwards-facing temple horns as well as ones on the rear of the scalp fringe. In comparison, females had flat lying plates that gave them a rounded skull: "You know Aran Shepard by sight, is that correct?"

"Yessir, that's correct."

"When did you last see her?"

"The twenty eighth of Olanzahl, 2177."

"Your file says you had a thing for remembering dates and numbers when you were on active duty." Abrudas merely nodded, ever the soldier. Her superior tapped his talons against his desk, it was made of polished walnut and there wasn't a thing on it. Not a picture of his wife and children or a single piece of paper. Nothing.

"She's gone up in the world since then," he continued with the air of one bored with formality. "A loose cannon, even for a Spectre. Our friends in the CDR holdings have suffered some major setbacks in Citadel Space recently, they've lost a lot of money and agents; most of their cells are too busy piggybacking off your nephew's research. You haven't heard from Saren since his unfair exile from Special Tactics, have you?"

"Of course not."

"Good, Aran has followed the breadcrumbs for a long time. Our client wants her to be pushed off the track, and given your history with said client. I think you can understand the seriousness of this situation; and how much it will set the Hierarchy back if his identity is compromised."

"Yessir, I understand that."

"You understand that you'll have to leave your family for this mission?"

"Yessir."

"That's good, I'm glad I've got your attention, you'll soon have the first Human Spectre's at any rate. That – I don't envy you."

He unlocked a draw in the desk, picked up a metal box, opened it with a key and took out a debit card, before putting the box away. He held it up between his two fingers, Abrudas stepped forward and took it.

"That's your payment plus expenses."

"Thank you."

"This account will only give up twelve thousand credits in any twenty four hour period. That's up from ten thousand."

"The bitch is already dead, she just doesn't know it yet."

"How well do you know Shepard?"

"Well enough."

"That's not an answer."

"What do you want to know?"

The man tapped his knuckles against the desk's surface. "I'd just like to know your opinion of her. The invincible Aran Shepard."

"No-one's invincible."

"Somebody is."

"Why do you say that? With all due respect – _naturally_."

"Somewhere out in the universe is the most invulnerable individual alive. Just as somewhere is the _most_ vulnerable."

"That's a - _belief_ you have?" Noted Abrudas, a hint of scorn playing around her mandibles.

"No, it's called _statistics_, Lieutenant. I've simply _heard_ that she's the best; the best with guns, with knives, with her bare hands." He paused, then. "But surely you know her better than I, you've fought alongside her. Just _how_ dangerous is she?"

Abrudas shrugged and couldn't help but snort disdainfully: "Compared to what? The tropical belt of Invictus?" She's bad enough that you called _me_. She's a psychopathic killer but so what? There's plenty of them around."

"Yes, I've heard about her – _peculiarities_. Leng tells me she's a peculiar woman; you might even say she has principles, thought they only make sense to her alone. For example, she was in a shoot-out on the Presidium last week."

"A shoot-out?"

"A shoot-out. Eight people dead in the streets. You don't watch the news much do you?"

"No sir, I don't."

The Turian Blackwatch official studied Abrudas with a raised eye plate: "You've led something of a secluded life haven't you, Lieutenant Dynerus? After the Relay 314 Incident, I mean."

"In all honesty, after what happened to most of my unit and Saren's elder brother, you can understand my commitment to only operating alone."

"Yes," the man said, "what else."

"I guess that's it. These eight, were these Harper's men?"

"Yes."

"You're sure."

"Not in the sense that you mean. But reasonably sure. They weren't ours. She captured, interrogated and killed another man, a Krogan, the day before, he _did_ happen to be one of ours. Along with the men sent to kill her two months ago, they were all decorated special forces, the best of the best and what was supposed to be a clean, silent assassination mission, became a royal clusterfuck, all right? _Don't_ underestimate this woman."

"Alright, that will do, I'll see myself out, _sir_."

"Good hunting, as we used to say. Once upon a time and long ago."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"If Shepard get's to me first, what's keeping you safe from her? Apart from that decoder switch-operated elevator and ten scores of raw Blackwatch walking-meat on Cerberus's payroll."

"You let _me_ worry about that, you've got _the_ hunter gunning for you, best leave your younger boy in capable hands."

"Right."

"Good day, Lieutenant Dynerus."

* * *

><p>When Abrudas got back home to the suburbs out in the Styx, seven hours later - she pulled her air car into the drive and turned the engine off. Contemplating her difficult assignment; Cerberus had kept her family well cared for since Shanxi, if the Man wanted Aran dead, than past battles and a fire-forged friendship with the Human were as dust and pushed aside, she would gladly kill her old rival and sister in arms to provide for her relatives.<p>

She knew that her youngest son, Jayden. Had come home from school an hour ago, and was probably in the middle of his homework. The following year he would turn fifteen and enter the military academy; though she had drilled her son extensively by herself, her being a spook and all. You could take her out of the secret service but you couldn't take the secret service out of an old veteran.

"Hello, sweetheart!" She called upstairs as she closed the front door, "whatccha up to?"

"School assignment, Mom!" He called back, "you've got a visitor in the sitting room, one of your friends from work."

Abrudas felt a cold pit drop into her stomach and her heart went to her throat, no. Not here, how could _she _already be here? She couldn't afford to panic her son, perhaps it _was_ a colleague from the Haliat Industries private security firm she worked at these days; she had a few friends she had invited over for dinner parties to maintain appearances. But her survival instincts were screaming for her to take her youngest child and run.

Slowly, she went to the small security panel above the phone dialer and entered the security PAL code that activated the house's defensive measures, then she retrieved a small pair of ME hand cuffs and placed them in her left pocket.

She walked through the door, putting it up to paranoia. Aran was sitting in an armchair in the living room, her back to the wall.

Abrudas swallowed, hard and dry, trying to overcome her fear and regain her bravado. Her eyes taking in the woman. The blue, intelligent eyes, the cold, impassive face, golden hair, the functional clothes, (the small overcoat had an embroidered Spectre symbol on the right lapel,) clinging to perfect muscles that couldn't quite be disguised by the layers she wore, beyond even the Lieutenant's experience.

"I knew this wasn't done with," said Abrudas in perfect English, "but I didn't think it would end today." She just had to keep Aran talking, the N7 Guardian might have been a woman of few words, but she loved a long conversation as much as the next gadfly.

"Sit down, Abrudas. I'm not here to make threats and I'm not carrying."

"You're _always_ armed," the female Turian retorted, lowering herself onto the opposite sofa. "Your very presence is a warning of that very fact."

"I need your help."

"And why should I help you when you're hunting my nephew." She stated coldly.

"Because he doesn't know Cerberus is riding his coat tails."

"Don't you think he would have killed the Illusive Man for what he put him through? Of course he knows."

"Saren focuses his hate on Humanity as a whole, he's a sociopath, Dyn. Stop protecting him."

"Friends are fickle, Shepard. Family is forever."

"That may be, give me the Illusive Man's identity then, or is he _family_?"

"Why - by the Spirits - would I do that? His people would cut down my entire family tree for breathing a _word_. Blackwatch would help them do so."

"I can protect you and your children."

"Not from him."

"He's not infallible, Dyn. It's taken me a little under a decade but I found _your_ connection; I located the final piece of the puzzle thanks to the granddaughter of General Williams, you'll be tickled to find out."

"The man who caged us like animals."

"You led illegal squads of black-ops troops onto Shanxi's surface, Dyn. Desolas was in command, he was the war criminal, not you. I pulled the POW records."

"But they were buried by Cerberus!"

"And I know _exactly_ where to look, I've hidden my own credentials in a similar manner, except I a_rmoured_ my coffin."

"This conversation is over, get out of my house before I throw you out! What do you need _me_ for if _you_ have all the answers?"

"I don't, all of Saren's files were censored by Blackwatch. What they found beneath Shanxi. What _ritual_ they conducted beneath Temple Palaven."

"Then take your sorry excuse for an agent of the Spectres and investigate the ruins; you being here put's me and my son at risk! But there's a way to remedy that! A shame we didn't get to know each other better!" Whip-lash fast, she reached for a hidden .454 caliber Brawler pistol in the secret compartment of the coffee table, it was gone.

Samus held up the gun and it's ammunition block casually in one hand. "I know where you keep your gun, I guess that's something."

Abrudas sighed, Aran wasn't kidding around, she thought of her son, oblivious of the danger as he sat in his room worrying about something as trivial as homework. "I'll give you the name he used to go by for all the good it will do you. And what we found and buried for the good of the Galaxy. Under two conditions."

Aran laid the gun and it's magazine on the table and gestured for her to continue.

"How did you get onto Palaven without anyone knowing? it's been three days since that Geth incursion into the Traverse, there have been, _stories_ springing up. About _you_."

"Really?"

"That you're not - even fully Human yourself."

"And what do you believe?"

"That - there _are_ forces greater than ourselves. I saw your report of the survey team on Trebin, _machinist radicals_...? that was a cover-up, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, so was the bombing in 2157, the artifact was too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the wrong hands."

"I sent most of a similar artifact from Trebin to Dr. Amanda Kenson at Alliance R&D and to the Council's experts. What did the Man call it?"

"The 'Man's' former name was _Jack Harper_, and he didn't dub the artifact. Desolas did: He called it - _the Arca Monolith_."

"I see... A matching Reaper _de-evolution device_ of some sort, psychological warfare..."

"Reaper?"

"Those forces you mentioned earlier, that's Saren's main goal."

"Wonderful, just wonderful. Then how did you get to Palaven so fast and without detection, a famous secret agent like you? The intelligence community would have been up in arms to know your reasons."

"I flew, my ship has a stealth function."

"There are orbital cameras around Palaven! They would have spotted the Normandy SR-1!"

"Who said I was in an Alliance warship?"

Abrudas mouthed in disbelief: "How long have you been here?"

"Two days. I've been observing your routine."

"You're here to kill someone?"

"I thought that was _your_ job."

"You've got no cause to hurt me, Shepard."

"Not yet, please don't give me one, Abrudas.

"We'll see, won't we? I need some kind of assurance that I'll be safe from reprisals."

"I _assure_ you, I can kill you as easily from over here as I could have five miles away this morning - when you were on the seventieth floor of the Cipritine HQ Terra Nova Commonwealth bank. Now stand up!"

Abrudas did as she was ordered, aware that she had just tried to outplay a master of manipulation. Even then, she could discern that Shepard was uncomfortable about the child under the same roof; she could use that - in a situation like this, there was no such thing as playing fair.

Keeping her hands raised, Abrudas quickly spoke: "There are files in my office, I can show you." With a thrill of dread, she could feel a warp field gently tug at her, with a flick of her hand, Aran could disintegrate the Turian where she stood or rip her limbs off.

As Aran's left fist flared with a purple / blue nimbus, the room's ME excludors booted up, a line of neon light on the ceiling skirting boards - and her biotics died away. The phone rang, shattering the calm. Abrudas swiveled round, lashing out with her heel in a back kick that drove into the alien woman's abdomen.

Samus fell back, winded, and Abrudas followed up with a thudding elbow drop, a mother's desperate fury driving her most powerful blows. Aran got her in a clinch, both of them grunting and exhaling as they grappled. Abrudas yelled a war cry with every hit she delivered, thumping Samus on the back and kneeing her in the stomach. But the Human had deliberately lured her close; catching her on the chin by the use of rising head butt, then she twisted her elbows, spinning the Turian into the wall with an effortless throw.

As Dynerus tried to rise, Aran deflected several weak counter swings and trapped the forearm of an edged hand, then used an open palmed punch on the Turian's jaw, snapping her head back against the doorjamb. Abrudas collapsed. Half-conscious.

"You always did have to do things the hard way." Snarled Aran as she dropped her own knee on Dynerus's sternum, pinning her to the floor; the phone still ringing loudly with two second intervals. Covering the sounds of the fracas.

"You don't - have to do this, Aran!" Begged Abrudas, gasping from the 200lbs of pressure being applied to her diaphragm.

"You people_ always_ say the same thing, where's the coder to the Blackwatch censor decryption? You penned the partially digital format for the hard copies. You'd have made a good Spectre."

"Eat me, bitch! It's right - here!" And with that she slapped one of the cuffs around Aran's right wrist, the Human woman pulled away, allowing Abrudas to be yanked with her, she managed to put both cuffs on her and nutted her on the nose; causing Aran to stagger back into the full-length window metal blind shutters. There was crashing and clinking as Abrudas collided with her, slamming her fists and crooks into her enemies' throat and other pressure points while releasing her internal energy. Aran did her best to defend herself, but she was not on her A-game and the cuffs synched with the ME excludors rigged throughout the house, slowed her blows to just above average Human standards in comparison; although they were supposed to reduce an ordinary Krogan to a pathetic crawl when placed in similar tailored jails. Even worse, (for Samus), was the fact that they had the opposite effect on Dynerus's speed and strength, picking up and accelerating her momentum as she passed the bubble and pummeled Aran with single-minded fury.

Samus spaced her stance wide in the cramped quarters and used several double-fisted blows to the outside of the ribs and liver, Abrudas had excellent technique and powerful motivation but Aran's greater will to win, not to mention Dynerus's horror as Aran fought on when she should have been lying flattened, off-set the mother Turian's guard.

The cuffed hands hit her on the inside of the groin, causing her to stagger in pain but she managed to dodge Aran's upward elbow swing, seize her collar and swing her off her feet and onto the table. Aran pulled it over on top of her for protection as she keeled over with it, Abrudas stomped through the glass and onto Aran's face. The Turian kicked her repeatedly, trying to land a lethal blow, or else batter her into submission, the phone had gone to voice mail. Samus managed to steer and block with the bottoms and cross-section to impede the trampling, then she drove the point of the twisted leg into the flesh between knee-cap and fibula, causing Abrudas to scream and hop back. Aran pulled herself free, but Dynerus had now grabbed a whole two metre tall light-stand and swung it like a Voulge halberd cleaver, the wide top aimed for Aran's head.

Aran absorbed the blow, metal and glass shattering over her arms, neck and head. The force of the blow sliding her along the floor. Abrudas threw the now pointed fixture at the prone huntress, Aran kicked the make-shift spear in mid flight, causing it to revolve away with a whine and sink into the ceiling. However, the distraction had given Dynerus enough time to seize her fallen pistol and it's clip from among the broken ornaments.

She slammed the block home and chambered a round.

But before she could turn the pistol on Aran they were locked in a death grapple once more; Samus pushed her fingers into the nerve bundles at the Turian's wrists, managing to steer the nose of the gun away from her own body. It went off twice, blowing up a pot and shredding through a collection of paper books. Then she dashed both their sets of hands into the plasma screen repeatedly, cracking the black monitor and sending the Brawler to skid under a drinking cabinet.

Abrudas shoulder barged her foe away and unleashed an omni cosh, driving Samus back with harsh cracks accompanied by clipped shouts. One strike whacked Aran on the hamstring, bringing her down on one knee. The Lieutenant worked over her upper body but Aran's boxer stance deflected most of the offence, Sam riposted with a crouched ankle hook ascension kick combo, smacking the Turian woman into her fridge as they entered the kitchen area.

Growling, Abrudas took an overzealous low scythe, that Aran avoided with a tucked, one foot, standing-flip, rebounded off the wall and spun back to execute a roundhouse knee. The women collided, Aran's attack shorted out Dyn's omni tool as they both fell, crashing over the kitchen island counter, sending utensils, hanging pots and chopping boards flying from their racks; Samus ran her cuffed hands around the cluttered mess for the closest improvised weapon she could find as they disengaged, Dynerus snatched out a Chef's knife from its fallen block and Aran seized a circular marble place-mat from where it had clattered to the ground.

The Turian Spec. Ops. Agent tossed it between both hands, then thrusted expertly at her with the large blade, Aran used the stone coaster as an impromptu buckler, batting the knife aside or taking the point head on, sometimes releasing sparks, but her arms were vulnerable with her hands forcibly clasped and Dyn managed to nick her bicep, releasing a small spurt of blood. Undettered, Samus spun the marble disc around her shoulder blades as she turned, like one would flick a coin between one's knuckle bones, clearing Dynerus's guard and backhanding her viciously across her leathery face with it as she completed her second full rotation. Abrudas fell onto the sink, her plates bloodied and bruised, gave a shout of rage - and surged back up.

Yet now, Aran employed the heavy disc even more inventively, using its propensity for quick angle changes to simultaneously defend and strike back, intercept and attack. She spun it through a figure of eight, cracking Dyn on the fingers and relieving her of the knife as it bounced across the floor, then she smacked the flat surface into the Turian's brow - and with her forearm; smashed the plate into her eyes and nose. Reeling back into a shelf filled with crockery, Abrudas felt the stone coaster spin under her mandibles, the marble rim digging into her throat, Samus palm heeled the disc into the vulnerable tissue.

If Aran hadn't been wearing the Mass-dampening cuffs - the attack would have undoubtedly killed Abrudas; who, though stunned, countered with a vengeance, taking the duel to the death onto the ground as she kicked low, splitting Aran's stance then seizing her jacket collar past the block to throw her into the beam of the shelf, splintering the wood and ceramic. Samus, groggy and with blood in her eyes - was partially blinded, instinct and muscle memory took over as Dynerus twisted and flipped Aran onto her back, then proceeded to pick up a hefty metal pestle and try to brain her foe with.

She re-directed and took the impromptu club's blows with her shins, knees and thighs, eventually rolling three sixty degrees from her prone position and sweeping out Dyn's legs while luckily tying her crown to her forearms with a whipped dish cloth; the Turian woman fell and struck her head off the counter on the way down - both soldiers found their feet again. Samus dived forward with her cuffs outstretched, aiming to throttle Abrudas with the electro-connection. But the Turian side kicked her away; Aran was flung back and banged across the wall, she felt her spine dig into a plastic wall conduit, running from floor to ceiling.

Faster than thought, Aran broke the plastic open with her cuffs and placed the connection between the live copper wire, there was a small flash of electricity as she ground it roughly and the ME tether snapped, the hand cuffs falling apart and the exclusion bubble undulating the air as it fluctuated away; though the rings of tungsten remained encircling her wrists. Abrudas had pulled out a whole drawer of cutlery while the N7 Operative freed herself and lobbed it at her, Samus bashed the projectile aside, her power restored to its maximum. Only for Dyn to run, screaming at her and pull off an incredible flying roundhouse.

Samus grabbed Abrudas's foot and spur with both hands and together, they were both sent careening through the glass screen-door and into the adjacent sitting room, a shower of broken shards and kitchen utensils following them in. Dyn went for a large broken piece as Aran rolled away and procured, in her haste - a corn skewer.

"Come on, bitch!" Hissed Dyn with hate in her heart, swapping her shank into a reverse grip; Aran's hands flowed in an intercepting cylindrical motion, ready to counter.

"I didn't want this, Dyn."

"No half-measures, Aran. You knew this wouldn't end peacefully."

"I'd hoped -"

"Shut up - and_ die_!" She screamed. Desperate and cornered, she fought ferociously, not willing to risk her family's lives to Shepard's security. Sadly - she had compromised that already, though the Commander had instigated the situation in the first place and therefore she was devoid of all guilt as she slashed horizontally, vertically, diagonally. All for naught, against Aran's speed she was completely outmatched, her series of bong sau blocks cutting off every swipe of the make-shift blade. Samus pinned her toes with her own, re-directed a thigh to the fork of her legs and returned it in kind, doubling Dyn over in agony. She caught a stab to the neck, knocked aside a frenzied left elbow jab and jammed the corn skewer between her fingers; then she broke them so that they touched the back of her hand.

Screeching, Abrudas lifted the back of Aran's right knee before it retracted and dunked her onto the ridge of the sofa, sending the furniture toppling over, Samus allowed Dyn to leap at her, talons outstretched on her left hand and caught her mid-flight with the ball of her foot, sending her, upside down to crash into the window and bring the curtain pole, plus the drapes falling onto their struggling forms.

The flexible pole had two medium-sized chain links and as Samus rolled the distracting curtain off her and up into a ball, tossing it away, Abrudas got her in a head lock with the bars. Squirming, the Turian Blackwatch soldier forced the choking, sleeper hold move into a sitting throat lock but found herself taking Aran's knee-cap to the chin as the hunter curled her abdominal muscles, Dyn then employed an inverted guillotine grapple, suplexing the pair to the ground, the chain wrapped twice around Aran's throat, strangling her.

Without room to build momentum; Samus began tensing her neck until it was a tree trunk of implacable steel cords, Aran raised her body in a planche pushup. Then, she bent at the coccyx, her feet coming over her back with astonishing flexibility, her heels step kicked Abrudas once, twice, thrice, up to ten times in the face. Dyn held on, wailing, it wasn't until her fangs flew out and her right mandible was pulped beyond recognition that her resolve cracked, and, in a feeble effort to shield her nearly indented plates; she was forced to let go of the chain and pole.

Flailing horribly, Dyn tried to bring her head back into Aran's teeth as the tables were turned, Samus massaged her clavicle with five rapid chops and cracked her sternum with a closed punch. While Dyn gagged and struggled, metal bit into her windpipe, Aran was winding the chain it's full length around her neck and pincering the Turian woman with her thighs; the huntress continued to asphyxiate Abrudas, even as she clawed at her leg with her talons, tearing the flesh with deep gouges. Samus let Dyn's torso go to save her femoral artery from being severed and hauled back on the chain, managing to slam both knees into the Turian's shoulders and dislocate them; then she braced both knees against the back of the agent's neck as they both lay on the floor; fighting for life.

Abrudas, despite the unrivaled agony it must have cost her - was trying to get her hands _inside_ the links - but she could not. Samus pulled back on the two bars, her knees between her arms and her face averted as Dyn scratched her chin in pure panic, bone and muscle grinding together sickly. Lieutenant Dynerus flailed wildly, she'd begun to walk sideways over the floor in a circle, kicking the waste paper basket across the room, knocking a chair over. She kicked shut a side door and wrapped the throwrug in a wad about them. She was bubbling, gurgling and bleeding blue bile from the mouth. She was being suffocated on her own blood. Aran only hauled all the harder, her teeth set, eyes unseeing.

Just as Dyn's sclera in both orbs popped with a spider-web of exploding blood vessels; so too did her right carotid artery burst asunder. A jet of dextro gore shot across the room and hit the wall, running down it in thick globules.

Her legs and arms jerked, shook with spasms, slowed, then stopped moving all together.

Aran lay there, breathing lightly for three exhalations, then she stopped holding her, got up, un-twined the chain slightly and jerked it, breaking the neck at a lethal angle to make sure of the kill. A shadow on the stairs forewarned the hunter just in time. Jayden appeared at the landing, revenge burning from his mask of a face, wielding a Krysae XG-70 shotgun.

"DIE!" He shrieked, tears streaming down his face as he unloaded a spray of slugs at Aran; who dived behind the dining table for cover. Jayden Dynerus advanced, pumping the heat sink free, five shells left, the second spread splintering the front end of the furniture, he re-chambered, fired, re-chambered, fired, re-chambered, fired. With the wood nearly destroyed, Samus dived across the floor and seized Abrudas's handgun from underneath the cabinet, even as Jayden's final shot grazed her shoulder. He reached for a thermal clip in his pocket, and Aran turned over on her back and shot him through the heart.

The teen did a jolting dance, clutching his chest with both hands, his legs buckled and he collapsed, dead.

Samus sighed, tossing the gun away with disgust.

She went upstairs and rifled through the office, finding the coder and digital hard copies of Abrudas's account on Shanxi. To her concern, she noted the boy had set off a silent alarm, the fight had only lasted a couple of minutes, they would be here in another three. Aran deactivated the expensive and un-economical security system and shattered her cuffs with a flex of her biotics. Thanks to Aran's genetic tampering, there would be no forensic evidence to identify her with - and no witnesses to see her leave this far out of Cipritine. She could already hear the sirens.

Uncaring that she was a complete mess, Aran merely wiped away her nose bleed and dabbed the cut lip Abrudas had given her, before jamming the microwave full of metal implements. She used her omni tool to cut open the gas mains on the first and ground floor, then went to the boiler and tore the pilot pipe free from its housing; formulated hydrogen seeping through the air.

Police cruisers and CCPD SWAT deployment trucks had arrived in the drive as Aran exited the house through the back and walked down the long garden, remotely turning on the microwave. The SWAT teams were five metres from the front door when they were thrown back, an expansion of orange, viridian highlighted flames whooshing out with a 'PHWOOMPF!' of violent chemical reaction.

The Turians set up a cordon perimeter of a mile around the property, they searched for hours - and found no-one at the scene.

* * *

><p>Safely beamed aboard the invisible Nova Corvette with its under-carriage matter transporter; Samus sat in the command chair, winging through Palaven's atmosphere, scot-free. Adam didn't speak most of the time to his friend, except for important mission-oriented details. They both just lived along side each other in their old age, both at peace and at terms with the Universe.<p>

Aran let down her hair, shed her overcoat - then went to clean herself up.

Rolling up her trouser leg and unbuttoning and pulling down her left sleeve, she washed her face and the lacerations, using a scalpel and forceps to cut open flesh and remove the peppered shot from her body, pouring peroxide disinfectant on her shoulder and calf. She bandaged both wounds with sterile cotton pads and perched on the closed toilet lid for five minutes - collecting herself.

After five minutes, she stood and checked her wounds, they were fully healed. She gazed at herself in the mirror for a short while, expressionless. Her reflection was distorted and split into tiny copies as her balled fist cracked the ice surface.

* * *

><p>On the Normandy, Samus had not been missed as the crew believed she had been conducting free electron laser weapon tests in her laboratory quarters for the past two days. In truth, she had, but they were automated. Aran located and flew by the SR-1 easily enough, using the Varia suit and shrinking powers of the morph ball to infiltrate the ship's super structure and make her way back to her office without them being any the wiser of where she had <em>really<em> been. The legendary power armour dematerialized back into her nervous system and the neutralino lock deactivated as she dropped down from the air vent on her ceiling and into the lab she had built into the scaffolding; the Corvette jumped to warp space and the godly connection breezed away, a splinter of her mind's eye, barely detectable.

Aran checked over the test's results, noting how eezo could be used to power and focus the new technology; she collated her findings, copied the data and started to dismantle the complicated apparatus; exiting the room when she was done with the project and had changed her clothes.

At the mess hall table, all her squad sat together enjoying their evening meal; Aran leant against the door-way, glad to rejoin her friends after such a troubling mission; the cost of Cerberus's links to Blackwatch and the knowledge of Arterius and Harper's pasts, though she could not have known it then, would be worth the lives she had taken.

"Commander!" Greeted Kaidan happily, being the first to see her loitering in the shadows: "Nice to see you out and about, we've got some spare chow with your name on it." Aran readily accepted the offer, it never ceased to surprise her how most of the crew barely batted an eye-lid that their Commander was a nearly three thousand year old super solider, but, they couldn't exactly look a gift horse in the mouth when they had all witnessed her 'reigned in' skills first hand and seen the results.

Dinner was a chance to unwind as crew and almost - a second family; though Samus wondered what the team would think of her for killing a mother and child, albeit in self-defence and in complete self interest to risk their lives in the first place. But for Aran herself, who had lived in the harsh wilds of the Universe; mercy was a luxury she could ill afford when her enemies were so ruthless in turn.

*****"Okay," began Garrus teasingly after his second helping of stew. "Huntress, Reaver, The Violent One, Destroyer of Worlds, Fist of the Dead Eagles, Eternal Warrior, 'She who Draws Notice of Things Called Gods', those I _all _get. How the _hell _do you earn a title like: 'She of the Flawless Feet?"*****

"Let's just say my old ship had a DDR machine, and I sometimes had _a lot_ of free time between missions." Quipped Aran, pointing with a wagging motion to emphasize her point.

"No - way, _you_ can dance, Commander?" Asked Ashley with both eyebrows raised, "I assumed you couldn't when we first went to Flux and you refused the invite."

"Well, it always depends on the," she lowered her voice to an inaudible whisper: "_Resources_ utilized."

"What was that?" Tali slurred, Garrus had bought her some triple-filtered brandy.

"Nothing, nothing of consequence in my world, and in _my_ world, I can't think of a better squad of goddamn bad-asses I'd rather lead into battle, then all of _you_ guys!" She raised her cup and stood: "May your kinsmen respect you," she toasted Tali, "trouble neglect you," Wrex and Liara, "the Spirits protect you," Garrus of course, "and -"

"Heaven accept you!" Hollered Ash with her, completing the first sequence of the drinking ritual. Samus addressed Kaidan and the marines who had had her back since the training exercises on Earth and the battle for Eden Prime: Jamie Andrews, Josh Fredericks, Wahib Singh and Russell Craig.

"May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future. And may you be in heaven half an hour, before the devil knows you're dead."

Garrus perked at the odd Human phrase.

"Cheers! May you live nine hundred years!" Jim hoorayed.

"And may _I_ live nine hundred and one years so that I remember you!"

The men and women laughed and basked in each others company well into the night, Aran was glad she had tweaked the bunk rotas so all her people had been up at the same moment; even she needed to unwind from time to time, though with some wariness, she knew such events were decreasing at her advanced age... Decreasing all the time...

* * *

><p>Kahoku's men had been missing for over a week. It was time to bring them home from their last known position; the planet Edolus, in the Sparta System. Aran recalled her last conversation with the man: <em>"Anderson told me you had information on Banes."<em>

_"Not as much as I'd like to. One of my crews found him, frozen stiff on board a derelict vessel. That recon team of mine, the one's who are missing right now. They were scouting the System we found Banes's ship in."_

_"That adds up, Banes was a Cerberus Operative, Admiral. A low level medical backer for the Keres Cell - my sources confirmed this with his death. Probably a convenience hit, he found out too much; your men may have stumbled across them as well."  
><em>

_"Dammit! I appreciate this, Shepard. I'll do some digging of my own and we'll bring these bastards into the world's light, so help me God!"_

Now, five days since that exchange. The Normandy descended onto the surface of Edolus, tracking an Alliance distress beacon to an open plain that was almost a replica of the New Mexico scrub-land. Save for the cacti.

Aran's squad of four aliens and two Humans accompanied the Commander in the Mako, all in full battle-dress; Samus wore her lighter Crisis armour but without the mock-Varia suit helmet.

As the M35 trundled over a shallow rise, Aran surveyed the area with a periscope, there was no vegetation or overly large debris in the area at all. An unnerving site for one who had fought ground burrowers before; there were the smouldering remains of a Grizzly towards the centre of the five hundred metre arena. Too few men and machines to account for a whole unit, Kahoku had sent a division of two frigates, four rovers and over sixty marines. Where were they?

From the crags, came Thresher Maws, subterranean carnivores of massive size. Their hardiness apparent in that they were the oldest known Galactic, non-sentient life form, that could survive on many worlds thanks to their natural adaptability.

Samus cursed and drove the Mako for all she was worth, there were five rippling spines arcing through the earth; heading on an intercept course with the suddenly pathetically small vehicle in comparison to the gigantic sand worms, it was a Thresher nest!

"CRAAAAP!" Yelled Kaidan as the monstrosities burst and dived their shovel heads out and back into the ground, attempting to pull the zig-zagging vehicle down into the depths. Garrus mounted the turret and began to chip away at their nigh impenetrable hide.

"The Alliance was lured here deliberately by the distress beacon!" Realised Liara in her fear.

"No shit!" Spat Wrex, not sure of their chances against a quarter score of these beasts, killing one during his rite of passage had nearly cost him his life.

Aran did her best to avoid the weapon grade acid cannons which Threshers used to burrow through particularly stubborn rock, spit-balls of fizzing corrosive melted stone around them. They were finally thwarted as a Maw erupted from the ground beneath, it's sonic screech destroying the Mako's instruments and flipping the tank over for eight revolutions until it came to final halt, mangled and on fire.

"Bail out!" She ordered, everyone had been wearing safety harnesses, thank the Maker. The magnificent seven managed to exit from the emergency hatch underneath since the Mako was on its side.

"What know?" Petitioned Ashley, as the Maws surrounded them.

"We take them out, one at a time."

Garrus piped up with: "What about that, _advanced exoskeleton_ of yours?"

"Yeah... I - don't have it with me."

"God fucking dammit!"

"It's alright everyone, we'll make it out of this."

"Commander! Two of them are making a beeline for us!"

"Okay! Listen up! Ash, Kaidan. HE rounds and grenade launchers, Tali, remember how you took down that dropship on Therum?"

"On it, Shepard!"

"Liara, Wrex. We need to hold them still long enough for Garrus to get a shot down the barbed tongue, it's a major nerve centre."

"Charging biotics."

"This is gonna' be fun!"

"Ready when you are, Commander!"

"Good, then let's take them to school!"

As Aran had expected, one Maw was content to act as a turret, lathering the area with it's acid spit. Williams and Alenko cracked it's hide with high explosive munitions and Tali managed to project another, omni tool disc, sticky grenade within it's fleshy pith, partially decapitating it thanks to the overload mines she had strapped to the IED.

The second tried to eat Aran and her three comrades whole, but together, the biotics managed to trap the Maw's head between singularities; allowing Garrus to send three anti-material rounds through it's crusty, white and blue, bulging tongue, slicing through it's nucleus, Aran detonated the gravitonic wells, crushing it's head from all sides as if it were a car at a junk yard scrapheap.

Unfortunately, the next two were even larger and they slipped through the ground's surface like a land shark's dorsal fin; trying to cut up any food on the surface with their spinal points.

Most of the team began to break off in different directions, though the sand worms noted Wrex as the largest meal and made for him. The Krogan was batted around by their charges before he rejoined with the Commander for phase two of their plan. Samus and Wrex reached the Mako's carcass and began to remove the turret with omni tools and biotics. The five others had taken refuge in a stone circle of high boulders, where the Threshers couldn't reach.

Samus overclocked the turret's accelerator by a factor of 500% for three shots, any more and the weapon would likely detonate in her hands. She pulled the seven hundred pound gun into a rifle grip and hefted it at the creatures cutting through Edolus's skin towards them.

Wrex had been gathering his immense biotic power and unleashed the ten second build-up into a warp / shockwave field that compromised the Maw's armour plates. Aran fired the huge gun, sending a fountain of entrails into the air. A second shot vaporized everything of it's organic nature above ground.

The fourth Maw was arcing towards them when Aran shot it through the back of the skull. It flopped down but by some miracle the round had missed any vital organs. Samus stripped down the now glowing cannon and attached four overload mines to the trunnions. She lifted and gave the bomb to Wrex, instructing Garrus, Kaidan and Tali to use overload pulses all at once and at the right time.

As the Maw reared up again, Samus released all her biotic power that had been charged for thirty seconds. Into the biggest one-way stasis field in history, enveloping the mega fauna within a dark energy shroud. Wrex spun the cannon like a morning star or an Olympian hammer thrower and let it go with a biotic push of his own. The Thresher, held immobile felt the device lodge into the exit wound and a flare of static as three omni tools activated.

The explosion impact event caused a mushroom cloud such was it's power, the shockwave bowling over the entire squad in a sand storm of fantastic man-made proportions.

The cheers died on their lips, the final Thresher Maw was three times larger than it's fellows and three times as angry as it reared it's ugly head and thick neck out of the ground; milky eyes and ulcered tongue searching out for the small prey that had killed the rest of its brood. All of the team piled behind a rock formation as the Maw swiveled it's noggin around stupidly.

*****"Well, Aran." The deposed Urdnot Chieftain chatted conversationally, "how do you think we can survive _this_? We can't shoot through it's armour now, it's too massive when it's above ground to aim for the eyes or the tongue, and an orbital strike from the Normandy will hit us too, got any little pearls of wisdom?"

"You know, Wrex. I do. This reminds me of the time I was _swallowed whole_ by a creature with a temper worse than this one. You ever see what a point one three Terra-ton bomb does to something when you set one off at _point blank range_ inside it's largest organ?"

"... I'm not sure if I should call you a_ damn liar_, offer you a _mating contract_, request _hazard pay_ because you're too damn crazy even for me, or break into tears from my shattered _masculinity_."

"Believe me Wrex, you won't be the first to do any of those. Wouldn't be the first to do them all at the same time either."

"Hah! It's going to cost me one hell of a bar tab to get that story out of you, isn't it?"

"Oh, you have _no idea.._.***** But hey, why don't I give you all a demonstration?"

"Shepard, I don't think that's wi-"

"Too late!" Samus deployed her helmet seals and raced at fifteen, twenty, twenty five feet a second out into the open. Running flat out at ninety miles an hour towards the colossal mountain of meat. The Thresher dipped and opened it's gaping jaws as it plunged down, Aran jumped sixty feet in a single bound and disappeared down it's oesophagus as it dived through the arid soil and underground.**  
><strong>

" - Our Commander's just committed suicide..." Breathed Tali in horror.

"Scarcely!" Wrex grunted, "I think we're in for quite a show..." After waiting for a whole minute, the grizzled Krogan began to tap his foot in impatience.

Within the heaving mouth of the beast; Samus used her biotics to stop it from dragging her down it's throat. Once the fields had stabilised, she floated into a foetal position and allowed concentrated warp energy to coalesce into her form. The indigo and blue fire fluctuated, becoming brighter and brighter, she held on for a minute stripping away the flesh within it's orifice. The Maw bashed it's head into impermeable rock, such was its discomfort. A minute and a half of charging her power would be enough.

Above ground, the team was growing frantic. But what could they do under such bizarre circumstances? Wrex had an idea.

"That does it." He threw down his Savage and began to walk away from their cover.

"Where the _hell_ do you think you're going?" Garrus called after him.

The Krogan turned. "To get my Warlord back." He announced - as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"By the goddess!" Gasped Liara, all of a sudden, the Maw burst back from under the earth, writhing it's head in discomfort. Before said anatomical feature was obliterated by a spherical biotic detonation of twenty metres across and five thousand newtons of unstoppable force.

As the gory blood cloud parted, there, atop the still twitching epiglottis, stood Aran, her orange armour covered in red offal.

"SHEPARD!" Cheered Wrex as Samus clambered down sluggishly, the release of such a build-up of energy having taxed her reserves for the first time in a long time.

"Liara was right," she said while sitting down on a small rock, removing her helmet as her friends crowded her. "This was a trap, set as a live - _testing field. _Tali, scan the area, Wrex help her out with those senses of yours. There's a listening post, maybe even a biological lab around here. And we're going to ferret them out..."

* * *

><p>It took the best part of the day. But there was indeed a Cerberus lab and observation post beyond the plain where the Threshers had liked to frequent, there was no security staff because the natural hazards had proven more than adequate for their needs, but with three tech experts, there were no electrical measures too great to bypass either. So the <em>scientists<em>, if Aran could bear to stomach calling them that, were taken into custody. She executed the utility staff.

For inside, they found what had happened to Kahoku's men. To say the experiments conducted there were perverse, degenerate, or just down-right depraved wouldn't do justice to the abominations the team uncovered. Surgical procedures on non-anesthetized marines, pain-combating acid circulations, breeding the few female marines with Thresher spores, and most sickly of all. The illegal cross-species insemination experiments that created warped Human hybrids with captured Turian, Quarian and even Salarian bio-diversity; most of them were on the verge of death at the genetic level, crippled travesties unfit to enter any sane world. Only Wrex and Aran had the fortitude to put the poor bastard children out of their misery.

Aran was grimly satisfied when they caught the babbling research director, who identified himself as Gale Carson, a member of the Alliance Biological Research & Development Division. The Hispanic scientist was blustering and pompous, claiming that Aran had no right to make arrests on Alliance citizens without trial.

"I know people on the Parliamentary sub-committee! This is against the law!"

"Out here, I_ am_ the law."

"Check with Doctor Cornelius, Micheal Cornelius; he was our backer!"

Samus did a cursory check, the man didn't exist. A deliberate move so that Harper's people wouldn't be let in on the loop and couldn't give away more than they should know. She related to him these very facts and that he and his cohorts were all now suspected terrorists of the Keres Cell, an accessory of Cerberus. And avowed enemies of the Council; Aran smiled as the colour drained from Gale's face.

That night, aboard Normandy and in orbit around Edolus. Most of the Cerberus agents had been turned over to a naval flotilla commanded by Kahoku, Aran had told him all they had discovered. With a faraway look in his eye, the Rear Admiral had promised to 'do his part' and promptly left with some interrogatives of his own to show to the Brass; though he had allowed Carson and three others to remain in the brig on the SR-1. His people were in the process of incinerating all the research down below.

Carson was unnerved when he was told by a large Turian wearing blue and black armour that the Commander had invited him for supper in her quarters. He hoped she was a civilized and reasonable woman. After all, he and his people had been told their subjects were just street grease, not soldiers with families.

Garrus escorted him none to gently to the middle deck, where a small choir of male marines were going to sing to remember the fallen and the innocents who had suffered so needlessly. Wrex was there, his feet propped up and smoking one of Aran's rarely used, hand rolled cigars, she'd made him a 4x larger one so that he didn't finish it with one drag. With surprisingly astute vindication, he ordered the three other scientists, all of them musicians, to play with the marines and get a taste of the guilt they should be feeling; they fearfully retrieved their instruments, a harmonica, a flute and a violin.

"What's going to happen to Dr. Carson?" Squeaked one of them to the imposing Battlemaster, Wrex grinned as he blew smoke over the man's face, making him hack and cough.

"Let's just say you can count yourself a lot luckier than your _Hrakhor_ of a friend; you'll play until I tell you otherwise."

The head of operations on Edolus was pushed roughly into Aran's office, where a decently sized meal of pork steaks, stewed and assorted vegetables, potato salad, tossed pasta and a bottle of Jack Daniels had been set out. Aran sat at one end of the round table and drunk from a glazed earthenware bowl filled with tequila as Garrus stood in the corner, his eye-piece visor bright and dangerous.

"Sit down, Dr. Carson, you must be hungry."

"Indeed, I've been treated most unkindly since being brought aboard!"

"I deeply apologise, my men can be a bit overzealous in their actions. Take a seat." Gale might have been more wary had he seen how Aran had torn his lab apart and destroyed every single grotesque specimen there. Still he stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do, when he had expected hot iron bars and EST.

"Come now, Carson, don't be bashful. There are no formalities here."

Gale hesitated, but one stern glower from Vakarian made him traipse over to the only other chair and stand next to it. Aran was chewing her food without a care in the world; or so it would seem. Gale's stomach rumbled.

Samus looked pointedly at the scientist's pot belly. Then made a gesture of welcome: "You _sound_ hungry. Sit."

He sat, then; tentatively loaded his plate with a bit of everything. He hadn't eaten for nearly ten hours and even for a man who had worked in such horrendous experiments he had an uncaring but healthy appetite.

The Cerberus agent was just raising some of the pasta and vegetables to his mouth when he stopped, could she have, _poisoned_ his food? Aran's eyes crinkled in understanding and her lips twisted in amusement as she reached over with a fresh spoon and took some of his ravioli; then she ate the parcel with deliberate slowness, making sure his paranoid eyes didn't leave the food stuff. Idiot Gale couldn't have known that Samus might have poured arsenic on the food and eaten it all the same with no ill effects to her.

"Ha ha! I knew it, I knew I was among friends here, Shepard!" He laughed as he tucked in.

"Alliance Black-ops outfits sure have some odd ways of protecting themselves nowadays."

"Well my dear, you can't be too careful in this climate; all of our work is deniable these days, all of it, I'm sure your loyalty is to Humanity and not to the Council on this matter? When we get back to Arcturus I'll show you our Alliance permission papers."

Samus smiled: "I never forget old friends, Carson." She held up her tequila and Gale gladly toasted her.

"Right!" He proclaimed happily. They both took a draught, Gale smacked his lips. "Good!" The scientist chuckled, quickly topping up his plate with more food.

"Especially when they're involved in such illicit activities. And have so much to talk about." She scraped up more potato with her spoon. "You _do_ have a lot to talk about, haven't you?"

He nodded politely as he swallowed mouthful after mouthful of quality ingredients, grabbing a loaf of wholemeal bread and dipping torn chunks in the mayonnaise sauce; sucking it off his fingers.

"Mm-hmm, well if you were with Wilson, that means then that you were, uh, coming from Yangtze?" Samus was inwardly preparing to explode into a trance of tranquil fury now that she knew how much the Alliance, (and men that she knew firsthand), were being unwittingly used by Cerberus. Or rather, how well Harper had ingratiated himself with the wealthy backers of the Military Industrial Complex; to the point that Cells were identical to real covert Alliance projects.

Gale stared at her guardedly, but he shook his head slightly, remaining silent. The lie branded on his forehead. Good, Aran thought, that gave her an excuse to beat it out of him. He averted his eyes and decided to look for a re-fill, Aran handed him the bottle of Jack Daniels and cut some of her steak, spearing it on her fork and placing the juicy meat in her mouth. Garrus crossed his arms in the corner, his frame almost shaking as she fed and watered this sad fuck. But she had her reasons and he trusted her torture methods much more than his own.

"Was it hard working in that desert?"

"Yeah, very hard, especially if you don't have anything to drink!" He said cheerfully, tapping the bottle with his finger nail; then sloshing some of the amber liquid down straight from the flask itself. Aran sat slouched casually in the chair, her forearm resting on the table edge as she appraised him in the way a She-Panther would eye an elderly ape, watching Gale, watching what would be his last comfortable thoughts.

"Why did you participate in such, _incongruous_ trials on sentient beings?"

Carson's eyes widened at her condemnatory suggestion, the bottle still raised in a foolish spectacle to his puckered mouth. He lowered the black glass decanter and shrugged both his shoulders indifferently.

"One job in the biological realm is as good as another. Like your work, for example. Some days you make chemicals to revolutionize medicine, the next I hear you're testing new directed energy prototypes." He let out a guffaw to her seemingly agreeable nod. "You're practically Mother Teresa and Mikhail Kalashnikov rolled into one! Ha ha ha ha!"

He continued his laugh as Samus took her pipe from the table, stood up and passed Carson; he was about to swallow a big mouthful of food. She slapped him on the back with her left hand with faux camaraderie - slightly harder than was necessary, causing his pasta to slop down back onto his plate. She fixed her eye-line with Vakarian's as she walked; Gale ploughing through third helpings and more alcohol. From outside her office, Aran could hear vocals and instruments being warmed up and strummed, Kaidan would be leading the singing aspect of the choir.

"Like a little _music_ with your food, Gale?"

"Music? Yes, yes it's very good, very good for the digestion."

Aran drew a match and lit it by clicking her fingers a hair's breadth from the wax tip, then pushed the flame into the plug of Zebesian Warkjurah tobacco, a minor stimulant free of nicotine and tropane alkaloids; Samus found it laughable that Humans smoked a cured weed that weakened them, what was the sense in it? But then again, they hadn't had an environment as unruly and paradoxical as Zebes, where plants harmed, healed and even attacked.

She puffed on the silver smoke for four short exhalations and raised her chin to Garrus, the signal that he could soon begin, she flourished the match out.

"Heh! So..." Aran strolled back over to Carson and stood to his right. Pulling a metal cigar case out of her pocket and putting the stem of the pipe in her cheek. "All of your experiments are justified and the casualties are just unfortunate collateral?" Gale placed his hands on the chair's armrests and bobbed his head glibly. Aran smirked out loud and opened the case, proffering it to him. "Cigar? Nothing like a bit of _excess_ now is there? Have one. My treat."

Carson rubbed his right hand on his smock, and reached into the box. Aran shut it with a snap on the tips of his fingers, breaking them all.

"ARRRGHH -"

Garrus pulled a flexible rubber cord around his throat, strangling his cry. Even as the Commander took Gale's steak knife and impaled his hand to the left armrest, the red blade sticking out through the ceramic underneath, blood oozing over his fingers, the ultra-sensitive Median nerve screamed abysmal suffering; wracking the Cerberus agent's body with convulsions.

_ "Bugles are calling, from prairie to shore, 'Sign up' and 'Fall In' and march off to war."_

The melancholic, soulful song, _Story of a Soldier_, was not greatly appreciated by Wrex as he watched the other Cerberus scientists play, he hawked and spat over the violinist's face. Within the office, Gale's head was pulled back by a rage-filled Vakarian, who, when he received a curt nod from Aran. Punched Carson in the clavicle, flooring the whole chair, man and all. Carson's skin was graying and ashen, he'd gone into shock as he struggled like a turtle with it's shell flipped. Garrus knelt next to him, a terrifying grin on his face. With a perfectly reined swing, he split Gale's mouth and fractured his jaw with a powerful right hook.

_"Blue grass and cotton, burnt and forgotten. All hope seems gone so soldiers march on, to die..." _

Garrus pinned a grunting, crying and bawling Carson to the central table on his back, the scientist tried to fix his maimed and skewered hand around Vakarian's throat. Garrus broke his wrist and sprained his forearm. Aran sat once again, smoking her pipe idly. She leant forward as Gale moaned and hissed in pain, Garrus pushing on his neck with his thick forearm.

"How many outposts does Project Keres have?" She interrogated. Gale gritted his teeth and ignored the question. "What did they tell you about the Cell overall?" Aran wasn't particularly interested in what he could tell them, but she thought it worth a stab, that and she wanted to make the scum feel an iota of the shame and humiliation he had dealt to his captives; they couldn't compare during this short time, but Samus could come close..._  
><em>

"I - don't - Ugh! I don't know - what you're talking about!"

Garrus turned his glare on Aran, requesting permission to continue. The huntress looked back at him and tilted her chin up slightly. Garrus smashed his fist into Carson's belly with unbelievable strength and exacting precision, making Gale void the meals from his stomach and go to the toilet over himself. Vakarian then tossed him across the room, where he lay, bawling dis-jointly from his mashed internal organs.

_"Bugles are calling, from prairie to shore, 'Sign up' and 'Fall in' and march off to war."_

The choir went on, covering the sounds of the torture. Wrex picked on the harmonica player next, who was reserved and blowing on the instrument too lightly. Such was his dread at what was probably happening.

"More_ feeling_!" He growled, the man did just that and promptly so, putting more effort into his music.

Inside, Garrus was punching Carson around like a pinata, with very unpleasant things falling out of him. He slammed the Cerberus scientist into the wall face first then yanked him around and decked him with a hay maker. Gale lay on his stomach, his teeth falling into his quivering hands. Samus put her feet up and tamped the bowl of her pipe three times, she pursed her lips in irritation, the herbs had gone out. The Hunter looked up with her eyes only.

"How's your digestion now?" She inquired. "...You'd better talk."

"I have - nothing to tell you..."

Garrus trod on his back with the heavy sole of his right boot, slamming Carson's face into the floor. Outside, the violinist could feel the blows that were being administered to his lab partner and boss. As Vakarian beat him bloody with prompt, crisp punches that Aran had drilled him with, one's that caused incredible pain as the skin and muscles were split and bones cracked; yet left no permanent or fatal injuries.

The violinist's instrument screeched off note as he stopped drawing the bow, Wrex was less than pleased.

"Play that fiddle, you!" He spat violently. The scientist, openly weeping silent tears for his sins and for the cost it was incurring; began to play once more.

_"And in the distance, a flag I can see, scorched and in ribbons, but whose can it be."_

Aran languidly lit her pipe again while Garrus pummeled Carson to a smear. Finally throwing him across the table, scattering dishes to the floor; Samus planted her foot on Gale's heaving chest as she sat and smoked, keeping him trapped and writhing helplessly.

"You know, Carson. I was once an unfortunate subject of similar experiments like the one's you conducted. And I lived, thanks to circumstance and a stamina peculiar to the Chozo. But you _civilized_ men are soft. Your lives are not nailed to your spines, as are ours. Your - _fortitude_, consists mainly in inflicting torment. But no matter, you'll be dead before the hour's out. _How_ you go - is up to you."

To illustrate her point, Garrus pressed the pads of his thumbs into Carson's closed eyes, pushing them into their sockets.

"Ah! Arrgghhhh! AGGGHHHHHH! I'll talk! I'll - I'll _talk_...!" He sobbed as his aqueous humours were nearly staved in and his optical nerves gouged out.

Aran loomed over him predatorily, Garrus removed his thumbs, almost averse, and pulled hard on the man's ears.

"What did Harper say about the Cells?"

"Tha - that - that there are,_ five_ in total, for Project Keres - including this one."

"Where."

"In three Star Clusters, Newton, Voyager and Argos Rho."

"_Which_ Systems?"

"I don - I don't - I don't know."

"... I believe you."

"Please... Shepard... I've got money, a nice little retirement fund. Make it worth - your while, if you let me go. Take you to an ATM. Everybody just walks away. There's about a hundred and forty grand in it."

"An ATM?" She replied incredulously.

"Good - payday."

"Shame I have more money than I can ever spend."

"It's - still a good payday."

"It is. It's just in the wrong _currency_." She motioned Garrus away and looked down at him.

"Tell me something, Carson," she said.

"What..."

"If the ethics you followed, led you to _this_, of what use as a Human being are you?"

"...Huh?"

"I'm talking about your life. In which now everything can be seen at once."

"I'm - not - interested, in your, _bullshit_, Shepard!"

"I merely thought you might want to explain yourself."

"I don't have to explain myself to_ you_."

"Not to _me_, to _yourself_. I thought you might have something to say."

"You go to hell..." He wept.

"Been there, done that. You surprise me - that's all. I expected something different. It calls past events into question. Don't you think so?"

"You think I'd - trade places with you?"

"Yes. I do. I'm here and you are there. In a few minutes, I will _still_ be here."

"You bitch... You bitch..."

"_You _think you won't close your eyes and scream to the almighty. But you will... I know what _else_ you think."

"You don't know what _I think_..."

"You _think_ I'm like you. That we're both monsters. But I'm _not_ like you. I live a simple life."

"Just do it."

"You wouldn't understand. A man like you."

"Just do it."

"Yes, they always _say_ that. But they never truly _mean_ it, do they?"

"You - piece of - inhuman shit!" He shrieked.

"It's no good, Carson. You need to compose yourself. If you don't respect _me_, what must you think of _yourself_? _Look_ at where you _are_."

"You think that you're _outside_ of - _everything_!" Gale said. "But you're _not_!"

"Not _everything_. No."

"You're not outside of _death_."

"It doesn't mean to me what it means to you."

"You think - I'm... Afraid to die?"

"Of course! I don't think I'll _ever_ truly understand _that_. _How_ does one decide in what _order_ to abandon their life? Because of _commands_? Because of _money_? _Promises? Sex? Power? Prestige?_ What would your _family_ think of you; if I showed them what you'd done to those people on Edolus?"

"Goddamn you to hell!"

"Oh, believe me, Carson. After I'm done with you. The _Hell_ _I_ send you to will seem like _Heaven_ in comparison."

Gale did scream as Aran grabbed his nose and braced his skull, he shook his head, trying to stave off that which could not be fended away. Not ever, for his time had come. Blood spattered and sprayed onto Aran's unflinching face as her powerful hands manipulated the cranium's features as a child might mold play-dough. He lasted for ten whole minutes, the longest ten minutes of his life. As everything the abominator of a criminal and sadistic terrorist had ever known or thought drained slowly down the table legs beneath him...

_"How ends the story, whose is the glory, ask if we dare, our comrades out there, who sleep..." _

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next week, Noveria! Check out _The Good the Bad and the Ugly_ song 'Story of a Soldier' a greatly moving, mournful piece about the futility of war.  
><strong>

***Big thank you to Heart of Zeo, for this electric dialogue!*  
><strong>


	29. White Frost, Cold Blood

**A/N: Hello again! It's been a while but I have returned. Exam results and other life lessons have hit me hard and my disappointment at not getting into my first choice of University made me go on a month long binge of game playing. (No, not all at the same time!) So anyway, after finishing all of_ The Witcher_, _Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings_, _Amnesia: The Dark Descent_ and _Deus Ex: Human Revolution_, I'm back to my writing and it's good to be back. Since I have a gap year now, my writing should be consistent to one or two week updates; I sure could use some supportive reviews at this time, thank you everyone. :)**_  
><em>

_"Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know _why_ you're here...That's - that's just an awful feeling..."_

_(Elijah Price)_

**White Frost, Cold Blood  
><strong>

Kaidan Alenko was not a man easily assuaged. Upon seeing his Commander force one corpse and three still breathing, (not to mention screaming) forms of Alliance citizens into body bags and promptly drag and throw them out of the airlock, he began to worry about her state of mind. The rest of the crew knew to keep clear of such obvious danger signs. Such as spacing terrorists without a trial.

In spite of the butterflies rumbling through his stomach and his legs feeling like water. He plucked up the courage to have a heart to heart with Aran. If he had expected it to go his way, it proved how little he truly knew about the differences between male and female soldiers; there was in actuality, very little. Something he would find out to his cost.

"I'm just saying, Shepard - Commander. That one can't always take the quick and easy way out. I've seen these measures employed before, believe you me, they never end well."

Aran halted in mid-step and gave him a stern glare. Kaidan quailed under the withering look. Until Aran's eyes sparkled and warmed; she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I appreciate your candor, Lieutenant. But these people are extremists, we aren't going to win by negotiation. Negotiation leads to concessions and concessions are a victory for terror. I chose the lesser evil here; there is no blessed moral high ground, no white marble tower for us to take refuge and preach in. There are only _decisions_ and their _consequences_."

"Don't get me wrong, Commander. I know you've been at this far longer than _any_ of us. But sometimes - a new perspective is good for the mind - you know?"

"...No. I _don't_ know; care to explain?"

"Those Cerberus bastards got what was coming to them. We relate to our profession in different ways, ways I can't even hope to comprehend. Just... Never take life lightly, okay?"

"And what's that supposed to mean? You think it doesn't affect me? It makes me _sick_ to think of the sheer _magnitude_ of people I've killed. What am I supposed to do from your perspective? Mm?" Aran was forcing him to step back into his corner of the mess hall as other crew members stopped their chores to watch the argument heating up.

"Am I supposed to _crawl into a ball_ and weep tears of penitence? It's done! These men have been _punished_ and I was the being who made that decision. I'm not a _weapon_ that is wielded by the Council against the criminal element, I'm the danger who _consciously_ _harnesses_ that power, for the sake of those who can't. What do you want from me, Kaidan? Can you tell me _that_ at least within your _pseudo-philosophical ramblings_!"

Alenko's lower lip trembled slightly, he backed down again, suddenly finding his feet more interesting than looking Aran in the eye.

"Stop - stop this constant, _blithely_ taking of life... _Please_."

Samus spread her arms and let them fall to her sides heavily: "It's who I am, I can never change that. No-one can."

"Can't you? Since what we both saw on Eden Prime. Since Jenkins and Nihlus were murdered. I told myself - I wouldn't hold back anymore against our enemies, both synthetic and organic. But you? You've spiraled into a downward path of hyper-violence without bothering to note that there are other alternatives."

"Why... Do I think - that you would never have come to me with _this concern_ if I were one of the male sex?"

"I - would have." He stated with all sincerity. His face soft and his eyes sad.

" - Oh."

"... _Yeah_."

"...Ah, I'm sorry - ugh, _Christ_." Aran rested her brow against her clutched hands in a moment of embarrassment.

"Please, Commander. Take it into account, that's all I ask, I'm concerned about you, that's all."

"Forgive me, Kaidan. For someone so old, I can sometimes be so blind."

"Not at all. You're too hard on yourself."

"No, nowhere_ near_ hard enough, I should pause now and then, reflect. I _used_ to; all the time in fact. But the - _repetition_, of it all," she enunciated the stressed word with a rolling motion of her left hand. "Takes its toll."

"I - I should go," stuttered Kaidan.

"You do that."

He moved to walk away but Aran grabbed his arm, suddenly but not roughly. "I'm _with_ Liara, if you, want the scuttlebutt confirmed."

Kaidan seemed to be overtaken by an incredible silence, then a pall of melancholy swept over him. "That's... Great. I'm happy for you two." His voice was unnaturally jaunty, as if it didn't belong to the same man.

"There's no room in my heart for another, Lieutenant... At this time."

"Hah! I, uh, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Of course not. Buck up Alenko, you'll find someone."

Kaidan gave a weak and somewhat watery chuckle: "Thanks for the vote of confidence, I, er, hope you'll watch out for yourself too. And the Doc as well."

"With you watching my back I don't think I have much to worry about, Kaidan. Thank you, truly,_ thank you_. You've given me a lot to think about. You are, a good friend to me, to everyone on this ship."

"Hey, no problem, I feel likewise... Shepard."

As Alenko left, Aran's forced grin turned into an ugly expression, she took out a Quantum-entanglement phone and punched in a number without looking. Calming herself. _"Idiot,"_ she thought, shaking her fair head. Annoyingly, he did have a point, a valid point at that. Damn him.

"It's just that -" Kaidan spoke up again.

Samus lowered the cell, irritated.

"I know the UNC gives away bounties on Cerberus agents, they've had the dead-pool running for years. I thought that maybe, considering what your past profession was..."

"Don't worry Kaidan. It's not about _money_," she continued to type the subscriber code. "It's about - _sending - a - message_..." Kaidan left.

The CEO of Cipritine's Terra Nova Common Wealth Bank answered on the third ring.

_"Hello?"_

"Good afternoon, Mister Vice President."

_"Who is this?"_

"... You know who it is."

_"Aran Shepard... You're alive. How did Abrudas die?"_

"Your contact? Not well."

_"I have others."_

"No, now you have none."

_"My connections_ _keep me perfectly safe from the Spectres, Shepard."_

"Are you in pain, sir?"

_"What? No."_

"You're about to be." Samus retained her grim smile as she heard the door being broken down and the heavy footfalls of Gabrilan and Mathias bursting into range, followed by shouts, cursing and the sound of two electric discharges accompanied by the strangled caw of a Turian being rendered unconscious. (Via a stun dart delivered capacitance of four hundred thousand volts.)

_"Target acquired." _Answered her old Krogan friend. Aran hung up silently, a smile creeping across her mouth, she'd kept her promise to Kaidan for now, she hadn't killed yet, maybe it could even become a new type of record while on active duty?

* * *

><p><em>Three weeks later...<em>

Liara lay sleeping peacefully in the Commander's quarters while Samus kept silent vigil. She didn't need to sleep like other beings and had cuddled with her in bed until tiredness had overtaken her lover. Then she had gently eased her arms out from the warm spooning they'd enjoyed and padded across the room like a shadow. Aran sighed from her armchair, someone had to be the Galaxy's saviour, she had been chosen, a destiny that many would kill for. But was there something greater than destiny? A greater power than blind predestination, or was there nothing at all. Even at her advanced age, she had no answer. Save that she altered her own fate; even in time travel, there was only one path.

She covered Liara's bare shoulder with an outer duvet quilt with unusual tenderness, then dressed silently. In a pair of dark heavy cargo pants, a navy rounded neckline cotton shirt, a buttoned cardigan and an open double breasted midnight black military coat. Then she pulled on two pairs of socks, the second set were wooly and had the day of the week stitched into them in grey thread. Friday. Riot boots with the hem of her trousers tucked over the laces completed her winter outfit. The boots had ice spike grips for extra security; though hardly essential for one with her co-ordination and balance, Aran was too much of a professional to expose herself to unnecessary risk.

Checking the weapon cupboard, she equipped herself with a pair of freshly forged carbon stainless-steel weapons. A Sayoc-Winkler tomahawk with a polished and wire-wrapped verawood handle. Plus a three suction break hole-dotted, blue-steel handled, kopis short sword. Similar to the Gurkha blade that Wahib used. only longer and more lethal at eighteen inches. She slotted both melee tools into a deployment hatch on her HMW assault rifle and slapped its collapsed form onto a magnetic strap on her left thigh. Leaving the right free for her Mk. X and the underarm holster for her Paralyzer. Like her handguns, her CQC weapons were woven with different types of indestructible star metal. The kopis, of silver denzium, the other, black core, giving the hand axe a nightmarish, opaque head.

All her gear was not completely concealed, intimidation was the aim of the game. Aran added her shotgun to the harness on her back, hidden from view (save the stock with a small orange Spectre insignia inscribed on it), underneath the coat. Best to leave a few surprises ready for any and all the assholes out there in the world.

Finally she put on black Schafa hide leather gloves, making her look horribly like a hit-woman. Only the thumb and first finger had cut-aways for added grip. Breaking out an omni tool diagnostic, Aran remembered how Lorik's coda had finally arrived; Matriarch Benezia T'Soni and her retinue had been spotted on Noveria.

* * *

><p>"Approach control," announced Joker over the ship's radio. "This is the SSV Normandy, requesting a vector and a birth." Aran walked up beside his helmsman's chair, listening to the mood of the air traffic controller on the other side of the line; trying to get a bead on the planet's social atmosphere.<p>

_"Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled. Our defence grid is armed and tracking you, state your business."_

Jeff rolled his eyes at the standoffish behaviour and answered crisply: "Citadel business we've got a Council Spectre on board."

_"Landing access - granted, Normandy. Be advised, we will be confirming identification upon your landing. If confirmation cannot be established your vessel will be impounded_." Samus sniffed with evident scorn at the blatant fear these corporate types displayed to extraterritorial officers, undoubtedly, info-links and email messages were going crazy on the planet's surface, transmitting the data that a Spectre was about to make planet-side and conduct an operation into illegal activities. Of which there were plenty on Noveria. More than Jeff had hair-line stress fractures.

"What a fun bunch!" Quipped Joker, "I think I'll take my next leave here!" Aran's lips curled at the jibe and she rested a hand on his shoulder before heading to the airlock to meet the squad. Regrettably, she could not allow the entire crew shore leave; Noveria was a mess of bureaucracy and turbulent espionage activities, ranging from white-collar crime to full out corporate sabotage. There was a clear and present danger to any Alliance MP's who took an interest in snooping while ashore.

Aran gathered around her shore party as Normandy slipped through the planet's exosphere, ME barriers glowing through the white gas clouds and sparkling ice particles. Wrex wore his usual heavy Mercenary hard suit, complete with added bobble hat that made him seem like a petty robber if not for its comedic size. (It covered most of his crest) Garrus also wore a flapped wooly hat that made him look like a snowplow driver. Both of them being sentients from typically warm climates; they hated the cold as much as Saren hated Humanity.

In comparison, Ashley, Kaidan, Liara and Tali were both wearing their usual light body armour. Along with winter over garments. Liara had a muffler and Ashley a striped scarf. Kaidan had been forced by Garrus to don a pair of thermal earmuffs after losing a poker bet with the former cop. Aran held her shoulder length hair back with an insulated charcoal bandanna.

"So this guy of yours? 'Quin?' That's his name right?" Asked Wrex.

"It's pronounced '_Keen_', Lorik - _Qui'in_," Samus corrected him. "He's the manager for the Synthetic Insights branch across the whole hot lab complex. And a good friend."

"Can we trust him?"

"I saved his life once. And got him promoted when I bought a majority share in their research. But he's as stubborn as you are."

"Hah, I like him already."

"There are two undercover Spectres in Port Hanshan that have promised to lend us a hand also. Just let me do the talking."

Kaidan gave her a meaningful look, Aran sighed. "And let's_ try_ not to start any fights okay?"

Wrex shook his big head: "Why not?" He said with all seriousness, causing the rest of the team to chuckle in mirth.

"Alright everyone, time to meet the neighbors." Projected Aran as the Normandy landed slowly in Port Hanshan's docking bay.

The cold cut like a knife across Ashley's cheeks, making her pull up the collar of her coat. Garrus shivered involuntarily as they all moved out onto the platform and Wrex had a perpetually sour look engraved on his weathered face.

"Turians don't like the cold, Shepard. Did I ever mention that?" Vakarian wondered aloud.

"No, but It doesn't surprise me. Palaven's seasons are warmer than Earth's."

"How would you know?" Garrus queried, rubbing his palms together to generate heat, his breath coming out in misted puffs. Wrex was like a fog machine all on his own. Aran's controlled breathing released white smoke from her nostrils every five seconds, Vakarian wouldn't have been surprised if jets of flame could shoot from her maw when she gave a great snort in answer to his question; the sound a dragon might make.

"I've been." She replied simply.

Rounding the corner, Samus and her party spread out in a V-formation. Liara and Wrex flanking her, followed by Kaidan and Tali and Ashley and Garrus bringing up the rear. They looked an awesome sight heading down the boardwalk to administration. Three Elanus Risk Control Service security guards, two Human women and one male Turian, all wearing Guardian body armour were waiting to intercept them, holding their firearms loosely but with an air of caution in response to the new arrivals.

Maeko Matsuo was a former Alliance soldier and veteran of the mercenary conflicts in the Sloevig system, therefore, upon first seeing Commander Shepard and her motley crew. She knew that such dangerous individuals had to be disarmed or else there would be untold property damage on her hands in a _very_ short space of time.

"That's far enough." Ordered the Japanese security chief sternly. Aran stopped dutifully, petty officials and mall cops filled her with an intense loathing but mindful of Kaidan's proclamations, Samus tried to be teeth-grindingly diplomatic.

"Something wrong, officer?" Aran said, placing a hand on the hip with a bull-pup rifle attached to it.

"You better _hope_ there isn't." Drawled the other woman, a peroxide bleached blond sneering cow, who looked as if speaking in anything less than a confrontational manner would cause her physical pain. Her name tag read: Sgt. Kaira Stirling. The silent Turian's: PC. Crismus Draven.

Matsuo was unperturbed by her subordinate's heckling nature and turned to face Aran's glacial glare. "This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials."

She wasn't prepared for the Commander to hitch an expression onto her face that was smiling mockery incarnate and for a slow, wheeling laugh to escape her. "All you need to know is that I have more credentials than you. _Little girls_."

"We're the law around here! Show some respect!" Barked Stirling, visibly aggravated. "They plan to be trouble, ma'am."

Aran raised an eyebrow mirthfully.

"I can't let you into the mezzanine without confirmation of your identity." Continued Matsuo in a measured tone. Aran's squad reached for their visible weapons...

"You know who I am."

"...No, I don't."

"Oh, come now, they told you I'm a Spectre. From this - paltry welcoming committee, I can tell that you don't believe it. But there's only _one_ _Human_ in the Spectres. Say my name, then _maybe_ I'll show you my credentials."

"That's not true! There _are_ no Human _Spectres_." Spat Stirling. "Who the _hell_ are you? We're not going to ask you _nicely_ anymore - _one more time_, who the hell do you think you are!?" She pumped her shotgun threateningly, Aran inwardly cackled at the threat, then decided to have some fun.

"You _know_. You _all_ know _exactly who I am_. Say my name."

"I _don't_ have a goddamned _clue_ - " Stirling began but Aran cut across her as if drawing a visible blade across a single hair.

"_Yeah..._ you do. _I'm_ the Inquisitor. _I'm_ the one who killed Elanos Haliat."

"Bullshit, the Afterlife cartels got Haliat. They spaced him in orbit." The Turian, Draven, spoke up angrily.

"Are you sure?"

The police officers were tight-lipped and stony faced, not daring to believe.

"That's right... _Now_. Say. My. Name."

Matsuo narrowed her eyes and gave Aran a small nod: "... You're Shepard."

"... You're _God Damn_ right."

"Load of horse crap, ma'am! Even if she _is_ who she says she is. There's no proof this _marine's_ a Spectre. It's at least two weeks before the next naval patrol is due, I doubt even her rank is real."

"I suppose we will have to confirm that," agreed Matsuo. "Also, you should know that firearms are prohibited on Noveria." She considered her next move while chewing her lip. It was the wrong one. "Sergeant, secure their weapons."

Stirling took an overeager step forward - and was met with seven smooth bore barrels promising instant death. Aran was pointing her Paralyzer pistol, drawn in the blink of an eye, right at Matsuo. Kaidan and Liara were glowing indigo and rippling the air around them. Tali's omni tool stood out like a ball of fire and Wrex leveled his own basic HMW boom stick at Stirling's face.

"Don't try it," he warned in a voice that brooked absolutely no room for argument.

"No-one takes my weapons," concurred Aran, "not that it would matter if you did. Principle and all." She waived to her concierge.

"Charge and lock!" Yelled Stirling as she, Draven and Matsuo drew their own guns and switched off the safeties. Brave amateurs.

"We are authorized to use lethal force," warned Matsuo stupidly, faced as she was, with Aran's superior force. "You have until the count of _three_ to surrender your weapons." Aran gave her a feral grin, why did they _always_ choose the hard way? "One, two, thr -"

_"Captain Matsuo! Stand down." _Called the canned voice of a woman Aran knew from recordings to be Gianna Parasini, the Administrator's secretary as Lorik had told her. The cops did so grudgingly, especially Stirling, every officer hated being hamstrung by spooks and their greater privileges. _"We confirmed her identity. Spectre's are authorized to carry weapons here, Captain."_

"And her henchmen?" Asked Stirling. Aran answered for her.

"These men and women are under my command, as operatives under a Special Tactics mandate my immunity is also _theirs_."

Matsuo suddenly looked weary: "You may proceed, Spectre. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational. Parasini-san will meet you upstairs."

"Behave yourself." Snarled Stirling. Aran took several steps towards her until she was offensively close. To her credit, Stirling didn't back down, though her hand twitched for her freshly holstered gun. Samus spoke haltingly as she looked down at her.

"If you had – the _slightest inkling_ of professionalism – you'd be wise enough to know when you're dealing with someone you'd rather _never _meet while you enjoy your daily power trips, _Sergeant_."

She made to walk away.

"Who the _fuck_ do you think you are, Shepard?"

Aran looked around, seemingly bewildered. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm the one who does her job, you must be the other girl."

"Why I oughtta - "

"Stirling!" Checked Matsuo, the peroxide blond had to content herself with a deadly stare but for someone who had faced down Mother Brain's Hyper beam, Aran was a cold mask that heralded that old adage: 'Woe betide anyone who stands in my way.'

"Yeah, that's right, get out of here!" Jeered Stirling at Aran's back, Draven cawed along with her and flicked a smouldering cigarette he'd been chewing at Samus. It bounced off her shoulder in a shower of red sparks and ash. Dirtying her coat.

Wrex growled furiously at the slight and made to grab the cuttle-bone by the throat, only for Aran to lay a hand on his killing arm. She shook her head. _Later_, the gesture promised; before swatting the tobacco dust away with subtle control over her biotics.

The team made their way into the lobby, garnering mistrustful glances from the execs on duty at the time and other business men and women. Up the stairs, there were a pair of sentry drones re-purposed as security scanners. They set off every klaxon in the building when they crossed the cyan waves.

"Weapon detectors, don't mind the alarms." Reassured a primly dressed brunette wearing glossy lipstick a bunched up hairstyle and an eye-wateringly vivid pink dress. She was standing behind a booth counter and was quick to disable the blaring siren from her terminal and introduce herself.

"I am Gianni Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologise for the incident in the docking bay."

Aran was immediately suspicious, she didn't trust corporate types at the best of times - and this one was hiding something. Though to her irritation, she couldn't suss out exactly what it was, only that she was not first and foremost Anoleis's assistant, as she claimed.

"Someone _piss_ in your security sergeant's coffee today?"

Parasini was only shocked for a split-second: "She takes her job very seriously and is a valuable asset to the company." Then, without a beat. "One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?"

Samus doubted that very much, the secretary to the most powerful man on the planet wouldn't act as a glorified bell girl but she decided to play along with this amusing charade.

"Has anyone unusual passed through here recently?"

"Unusual? An - Asari Matriarch passed through here a few days ago - Lady Benezia.

"Benezia... She's really here." Muttered Liara disconsolately, Aran had told her as much but hearing it from another source drove the point home sharply.

"Can I speak with her?"

"Ah, that may be problematic. She left for one of the research facilities days ago. Peak Fifteen - I believe. To the best of my knowledge, she's still there."

"Then that's where I need to be."

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this port."

"And _I'll_ need your full co-operation. I can't allow my investigation to be hampered by the whims of secessionists."

"Tread lightly, Commander. The Board can bury you in litigation. You'd need an Asari lawyer to see the case through."

"If the Board prosecutes me, then the Council's ministry of finance might just pull their _very_ generous support out from under them. You _rely_ on their complete fiscal backing."

"You're good, Shepard. Worked in bureaucracy before? No? Never mind. Technically, there's nothing we _can_ do to impede a Spectre, but the Administrator might not feel that way. He _certainly_ won't feel that generous."

"I'm sure I'll bring him around to my way of thinking..."

* * *

><p>Aran and her squad were walking along the boulevard of the main complex, snow battered the windows, Liara was sombre.<p>

"She is_ here_. I can't believe it."

"When was the last time you saw her?" Asked Aran, linking her arm with hers at the back of the group now.

"Thirty eight years ago... I imagine you want to talk to me, Samus. About my mother."

"No, we don't. I trust you Liara. You might not be military but you're part of my crew. And something - _greater_."

"Thank you, that means a great deal to me."

"Well, I can't very well _not_ protect you after all we've been through."

"You sure you're powerful enough to match an indoctrinated Matriarch?"

"I've been accused of many things in my life, T'Soni. But lack of physical prowess, is not one of them!" She replied playfully looping her arms around her waist and spinning her around as she was fond of doing, the Asari squealed in joy and Samus set her down, basking in the Mediterranean pools as she looked into her eyes.

Liara clasped her hand in comfort as they strolled past the decorative rock pools. Several patrolling ERCS cops wolf whistled lewdly, causing the rest of the team and Aran herself to tense up. To avoid attracting too much attention she decided to let her squad mates break off from the main group and take a look around the storefronts and other appliance shops. She doled out some spending money onto their credit chits, the only one not pleased; was the gentle giant from Clan Urdnot.

"Shepard, I need to get my blood flowing. Find me something to _kill_!" He moaned and groaned.

"At this rate, you won't have to wait long, come with me and Liara then. Follow me at a distance after I've dealt with Anoleis, I'm a trouble magnet. Maybe the police will try and have another shot at me."

"Aye aye, heh hah heh hah!" He rumbled darkly.

* * *

><p>The two woman, one man party were buzzed though the glass sliding doors to the Administrator's office. Behind a large desk sat a grey-skinned, purple-rim eyed Salarian in an expensive business suit. And a constant frown scrunching his wrinkled face.<p>

"You'll excuse me if I _don't_ stand up. I have no time to entertain colonial rubes." He murmured rudely.

"_You'll_ - _make,_ time. Administrator, or you'll taste my steel. _Especially_ if you have a particular problem with colonials."

"No appreciation for economics. Protectionists and communists, all of them."

"I haven't lived on a colony for_ quite_ some time; I'd appreciate if you acknowledged you're dealing with a Spectre, not a Human. Keep that in mind."

"Believe me," replied Anoleis condescendingly. "That is _foremost_ in my mind. This greeting is a _courtesy_. I will only cooperate as required by the Executive Board. You see, Commander. Businesses come here to _avoid_ the second-guessing of Galactic law."

"Mhm." Aran nodded repeatedly, as if agreeing but then she raised a finger in objection. "Except... One of these _businesses_ that you're so eager to protect has dealings with a terrorist organization and a rebel warlord. _This_ is a matter of _Galactic security_."

"Yes, isn't _everything_ for you people? Just so we understand each other, I will not allow you to harass our clients. This world is - "

Aran placed both hands on his desk while Wrex kept an eye on the automated turret Anoleis had for security; unfortunately Noveria would not have heard the news of Arterius being dismissed from the Spectres. The Horse head Nebula was isolated from the rest of the Milky Way's relatively small community.

"Do you do business with Saren?" She probed aggressively.

"Agent Saren? One of your Spectre compatriots? He is a major investor in Binary Helix corporation, which is one of Noveria's backers."

Samus remembered the ship co-ordinates Saren had stolen from the Volus cargo freighter: The_ Kilwi Harmaniah. _Of which Wrex had helped raid, though no _physical_ plunder had been taken. What could he have found that he'd bring to this cold, desolate world, another part of the Conduit's puzzle? Although they conducted AI research, BH's main forte was in biology and genetics. As if they hadn't had enough of the Thorian trials conducted by Cerberus.

"Is Binary Helix developing weapons for him?"

"It's possible, given his interests. What our clients do in their labs is _their_ business."

"What interests?"

"I'm not at_ liberty_ to say."

"... Fine. Back to my other questions."

"Every minute you waste costs the company twelve credits. I will keep a running tally."

Aran ignored him.

"I've heard an Asari matriarch is here, Benezia?"

"You mean, you _already_ knew. She arrived a few days ago, accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She is up at Peak Fifteen."

"Define personal escort," Wrex said, bolstering Aran's veiled interrogation, he huffed like a steam engine despite the lack of foggy breath in the radiated warm of the office.

"The phrase is self-explanatory, bodyguards attending to the safety of her person. Mainly Asari Commandos."

"You let Asari, who can _kill you with their brains, _run around!? But give us flak about _guns_?!"

"They followed all our regulations, _Krogan_. I had no reason to forbid Lady Benezia from taking them."

"The cargo, what can you tell me about it." Continued Aran, filing away the information that there were very deadly combatants up there in the hot labs.

"Large, heavy and sealed. It passed weapons screening. Beyond that, it is not our concern."

"_Why_ is she here?"

"I don't _know_ the details, Shepard. She came here as agent Saren's executor."

"Excuse me, his what?" petitioned Liara, unfamiliar with the term.

"_Ex-ec-u-tor_, Saren is a _major shareholder_ in Binary Helix, Lady Benezia is authorized to act in his name. I can only assume that there were issues at Peak Fifteen that required Saren's and by extension Benezia's, attention."

"I need to see her, _immediately_."

"I'm afraid that you cannot, Peak Fifteen is a private facility in the Skadi mountains. Regardless, there is a blizzard in the area, shuttles are grounded and surface access has been cut off." He finished with a false note of apology in his voice, as if that would settle the matter and he was sorry nothing could be done.

"Surface access, you say..." Inquired Aran slowly and thoughtfully, finally deciding to take a seat and put her hands together, inter-locking her fingers and lowering her head so that her face was obscured, the stonewalling was really getting to her.

"_Cut off_, I said. Roads are not suitable for travel, don't make an _issue_ of this Shepard." His blunt refusal turned into a high-pitched scream as Aran grabbed him by the lapels and dragged him over the desk, her omni tool's Chozo cryptology programme suite automatically jamming the security systems.

"Please! Don't hurt me! I'm paid to uphold the wishes of the Board!"

"I don't give a two-credit-_fuck_ about your commercial conundrums you meat-headed _shit-sack_! Either you give me a pass to the garage of this building or the remainder of your short life will be _unpleasant_ to say the least. I'll pull you apart and _festoon_ this office with your own _guts_!"

"By the wheel of life, Shepard! Think what you're doing!"

"Leave him, Shepard," Liara spoke up bravely, "we don't_ need_ his help."

Aran breathed heavily - then threw him back into his chair.

"I have no more questions, _at_ _this time_."

"Good," gulped Anoleis, massaging the pulled sinews on his chest and straightening the creases in his blazer. "I received a dozen urgent messages while you dithered about."

"Saren's not the only one with friends here, Administrator. You'll find that out to our peril." Aran retorted as she marched away.

"Ahhh... Do you mean poor Mr. Qui'in, Shepard? He's not in _any_ position to help you." He called out to Samus as she was about to vacate the room. Without looking back, she said in a voice that could freeze bone marrow.

"If you've hurt him physically, I'll find you. If you've hurt his wallet, you can expect to end this day with no job."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Commander. Now kindly get out."

Samus fully turned round and checked her shoulder: "I'll be back."

* * *

><p>After nearly being waylaid by Parasini, who Aran brushed off quickly, (smelling the Internal Affairs charm school tactics from a mile away.) The team made for the hotel across the mezzanine. Where Aran hoped she would find her old friend. She wanted that runty little bastard, Anoleis to herself, damned if she was going to let some grad school rookie steal her prey.<p>

Near the garage proper, she met her first ally from the Special Tactics, the Turian agent, Lilihierax. Though he was known as 'Li' to his friends. Working as the chief technician for the NDC.

"Spectre, right?" He posited conversationally.

"Yeah, that's me," answered Aran as if she'd met him for the first time in her life.

"I used to be a military tech. Except for Maeko's people, everyone's too corporate around here. They just sit around sipping expensive water. So what can I do for you today?"

"You seem like you have an ear to the ground, what's happening around here?" Aran continued, pretending to help him check a maintenance panel as the brother eye info-cam's stared down at them.

"Huh, what _isn't_ happening around here? There's the problems on Peak Fifteen, Synthetic Insight's was shut down by Anoleis - and a Matriarch came through."

"Sorry, what was that about Synthetic Insights?"

"Well, the rumours going round says that Lorik Qui'in was on the take. So Anoleis shut down SI's offices, _real_ quiet-like, so no off-world lawyers come in on it."

He was good at his work this Spectre, one of the finest, never blowing his cover but channeling Aran a trove of Intel.

"What sort of - _problems_, are there at Peak Fifteen?"

"Don't know... There's a blizzard up there but we've had those before. Never cut the satellite up-links _before_, Fifteen's always had a lousy reputation. Nobody talks about what they do there and everyone sent up, comes back _a little quieter_."

"Do you know where that Matriarch is now?" Aran asked casually, not willing to take the word of the execs on her whereabouts alone.

"You're looking for her? She took a shuttle to Peak Fifteen before we lost contact."

"What do you do here?"

"I'm the chief mechanic for Hanshan, just call me Li, Humans have a problem saying my full name. Got a team of twelve under me, keeping the shuttles coming and going."

"How would I get into the garage?"

"You need a pass, you can get one from Anoleis or the managers of the different departments," he palmed her a hacked ID card. "If you can polish enough gizzard."

carrying on with the show, Aran put on her most congenial tone: "Maybe you could let me borrow yours..."

"Sure," replied Lilihierax mildly. "If I wanted to lose my job and get sued into the next spiral arm, security _tracks_ card use." He finished on a serious note, Aran apologized and smirked as Li gave her a roguish wink and a jerk of the head, indicating that the security pylons were located at the top of the hotel bar; their next port of call.

"Thanks for your time anyway, I have to go."

"You need anything, I'll be here."

Aran couldn't resist making the sign of the legion quickly, Li would be a valuable part of this mission...

* * *

><p>The bar of the Pulsar Hotel was a rather dull affair for having so much money pumped into it. There was no great variety on the menu and the viridian rotating lights gave the spacious room a chilly, unwelcoming feel. The shore party re-united around a round table and shared stories of their adventures.<p>

Mallene Calis, an Asari Spectre operating at the highest echelons of the Noveria Development Corporation; caught the eye of the Commander as she discussed her plans with her six squad members. Within a minute, Aran disengaged from the group and met Calis in the washroom.

"Excuse me, I need a moment of your time," introduced the Asari agent as Aran ran her palms and fingers under a jet of hot water and began to scrub them. She nodded her acquiescence and the Asari plowed on with her operation.

"The male Human at the hotel bar, he's a sales rep for Binary Helix, his name is Raphael Vargas; I need you to speak with him."

"Because everyone here knows who I am." Stated Aran as she took some hand-wash lotion from a soap dispenser.

"Yes, that does make you _ideal_ for my job; you are a known quantity, or so Vargas will think. He will assume you are here to investigate his company's dirty laundry, that will distract him from your - _my_ real intentions."

_"Get a grip, woman!" _Aran inwardly shouted, the Council wanted to know how deep Saren's connections into Binary Helix went, Vargas would be the patsy who would deliver them the answers. as long as Calis hadn't completely bungled this mission.

"And what would _I_, talk to a man like Vargas about, exactly?"

"I represent the Armali City Council on Thessia, our town is known for it's biotic amp crafters - "

"Get - to the point," harried Aran gruffly, rinsing her hands free of foamy suds.

"Much of BH's work relates to biotics, there are rumours that the Noveria branch has flown in Asari biotics, powerful ones; commandos to be specific. We want to assess any potential risk to Asari copyrights."

Aran nearly burst out laughing at the cover, it was pathetic to say the least, but on Noveria... It certainly stuck, it almost came off as realistic!

"You will present yourself as a buyer. On behalf of the Spectres or the Alliance, discuss their - military enhancement programmes. Your _real objective_, will be to distract him. I will give you a device that will crack into his personal wireless network. It will upload a variety of monitoring viruses; they will infiltrate Binary Helix when he logs into their intranet."

Samus dried her hands with a holo towel before answering.

"It's an interesting plan, I'm in."

"Excellent, here's the cracking device; you will know it is done when it beeps. I have assembled a dossier on Vargas, if you would like - I can brief you on his behaviour patterns."

"_Argh!_ Great Moons of Zebes! Why don't you just go out there and tell everyone you're a spy, Mallene?"

"I'm - I'm _sorry_, agent Shepard, th- this is my first field situation!"

"Obviously! I mean... _Jesus_, I've met some dumb bastards in my time but you _take the cake_, why not just plant a similar sub-programme on his omni tool? One with in-built obsolescence."

"You can do that?" Calis gaped.

"_No_... That's why we _don't_ have a Galactic information broker, peddling secrets like there's an arms trade on Tuchanka! Get out of here!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Aran shook her head at these impetuous, young agents. No sense of subtlety and not enough spontaneity; that was their problem.

* * *

><p>Raphael Vargas was taking a small gulp of Elasa when a tall, golden blonde who was dressed for a protracted Guerrilla war in the Arctic sidled up to his bar stool and sat on the high chair to his right, looking directly at him. She didn't look like any ordinary woman, more like a Valkyrie.<p>

"Can I help you?" He asked, taken aback at the sudden introduction. Eventually he found his tongue and put it back in before promptly tripping over it.

"Mr. Vargas? I'm Commander Shepard, a Spectre. I understand you work for Binary Helix?"

"That's correct, Raphael Vargas, sales." They shook hands and Aran inspected his proffered business card before pocketing it. "Were you interested in our services?"

"I might be - that depends on what sort of offer your company can make."

"It was my understanding that the Citadel contracted to a - Salarian corporation for its enhancement programmes..."

"Well I'm sure _you_ know we pass a reviewed budget every fiscal year; if it delivers a better soldier - contracts can change."

"A sound business practice. Excuse my hesitation I've never heard of a government accused of _good_ economic sense."

"That's what they need people like us for."

"Hah! Okay, first- " He took a breath, then recited his company's passage from verbatim. "The boilerplate disclaimer: No genetic enhancement is guaranteed to _take_. We can maximize the odds but every strand of DNA is unique. Our patented techniques can provide an 8% increase in adrenal response, 12% faster clotting and a measurable decrease in Z-G muscle degeneracy."

"I've never heard of a technique that improves zero-gravity endurance." In truth Aran had been gifted with biological enhancements that were still wet-dreams to Binary Helix, five hundred years from now.

"Its a first for the industry, the advent of element zero-based artificial gravity made it a less pressing concern. We're still waiting for tests to give us an average improvement. We estimate a 7 to 11% decrease in muscle loss rates. I can get you those improvements for 30K credits per head. For a bulk order I can work in a sensory enhancement package: Guaranteed 20/15 vision, and hearing from twenty to twenty two thousand HZ."

"How would you distribute these upgrades? Retro-viral injections would take some time." Aran wondered at the primitive nature of their gene therapy. Most Humans in her time had lived up to four hundred years thanks to genetic repairs and centuries of bred physical perfection.

"Well it _does_ take time to upgrade a body with adjusted DNA, skin cells can be replaced in two weeks but the liver takes over a year, the skeleton, a decade. For front-line units we can speed the process with full-system transfusions and injections to stimulate re-growth. It would still take six months to see results."

"Impressive, very impressive." She lied easily.

"I - have to admit it surprised me that you're here for business. There are many development projects on Noveria... Some, not entirely legal."

"If you have any _tips_, I'd appreciate them. It would reflect well on you and Binary Helix."

"I'll keep that in mind. Of course, we don't perform espionage on our competitors, that would be illegal."

'BEEP!'

"Sorry Mr. Vargas, that's a call I've got to take, thank you for your time."

"Of course, Commander Shepard. We look forward to doing business with the Citadel." From the balcony above, a Krogan Battlemaster watched Aran intently...

* * *

><p>It was only five minutes later when a stately and rather elderly Turian in a blue, white and black tux strutted into the bar from the hotel elevators and made for his usual seat.<p>

He felt a jab in his lower back, it felt terribly like a gun barrel.

"Reach for the sky." Laughed a rich feminine voice. Lorik Qui'in remembered who'd taught him that particular Human idiom.

"Now now, sit down, have a drink, what can an _old Turian_ like me do for you?"

"You can start by putting your hands down and turning around."

Qui'in braced himself, his lazy left eye only half scrunched closed, and swiveled round: "Aran!" He shouted in surprise upon opening his eyes wide.

"Lorik! What are standing there for? Come on and give us a hug you old git!" The two friends laughed and embraced slapping each other on the back. Much to the bemusement of the rest of the clientele and Aran's squad. They broke off the contact.

"You know, you've got a lot of nerve coming back here, after what you did..." Qui'in suddenly said, his gentlemanly timbre growing rather frigid.

Samus pointed at herself innocently, a silent '_me_?'

There were a tense five seconds, then...

"Mmmggggfghhghffphhh...!" Qui'in tried and failed to restrain himself: "HAH! HAUH! HAUH! HAUH! HAH! How are you doing you old hunter, it's so good to _see you_! I thought I'd never get to see you again!" Most of Noveria knew Lorik as a unflappably reserved and composed; to see him act like this was a big surprise to all of them. He was in a playful tangle with Aran, like a tussle between someone who thought he was about to be attacked only to be trapped in a friendly bear hug, that was, until Wrex cleared his throat obtrusively, put off by the show of affection.

"Ahem," Qui'in coughed as his excitement died down to be replaced my mild embarrassment.

"Everyone, may I introduce Lorik Qui'in."

"Charmed," he nodded to those present as he took a seat with the squad. All of them welcomed him and introduced themselves.

"He's the manager of the local Synthetic Insights office - "

"For the moment at least..." Came Qui'ins rather dour reply.

"I know, we'll hear about it later. I've got Anoleis's number, for now, I'm buying, let's eat and drink."

"And forget the Galaxy's problems for a short while," he finished for them all, making everyone besides Wrex laugh appreciatively.

* * *

><p>Later, Aran had sent most of her team to the garage with Li's hacked pass to make the preparations for the journey to Peak Fifteen. But she would not leave her old friend to Anoleis's charity. After disabling card tracking and hacking into the security systems terminal in a locked room, thereby deactivating SI's cameras, she decided to save the facility's info-cam feeds for herself.<p>

Qui'in swallowed a mouthful of his dextro vodka martini and dropped a Taetrun olive into the fizzing alcohol; Samus was enjoying the smoke of her peace pipe.

"I've been meaning to tell you Lorik..."

"What?"

"... James Bond called, he wants his_ life_ back."

"Hah! Oh, Aran. You always did know how to make me laugh."

"That and how to save your life and livelihood."

"How fortuitous," he said nostalgically. "That you of all people would walk back into my life during _this_, my hour of need."

"Anoleis...?"

"_Mr._ Anoleis closed my offices, yes. He claims to be investigating reports of my _corruption_. The Administrator is an _interesting _man - he's become quite wealthy since he took direct control of _rents_."

"What an _intriguing_ coincidence, I sense a connection there that you must have found. Kickbacks and tolls, right?"

"_Indeed_. I acquired evidence of Anoleis's actions. His hired goons are ransacking my office to find it. I suspect your goal lies outside this port, old friend. Mr. Anoleis would be disinclined to let you _wonder_, considering what this evidence could do to him."

"I don't need any incentive to see that slimy toad-blower boil in his own juices. You have a plan?"

"I do. However, there is one other... Tut, what is that _charming Human expression_? Fly in the - _lotion_? Violence against Mr. Anoleis's thugs _may_ be necessary, he has members of Hanshan security team engaged in the actual searching of my offices. He's paying them under the table, Ms. Matsuo is unaware of their - _outside employment_."

Aran chewed on the stem of her pipe, musing on this piece of delectable news. Then her eyes snapped open, filled with controlled rage and a certain, terrible glee. An emotion even she was not always willing to acknowledge, or certainly allow to run completely free.

"If they're accepting bribes they're _mercenaries_ - I can _kill_ mercenaries."

"_Excellent_!" Qui'in drawled, "here is my pass into my offices, it will activate the elevator. The evidence is on my office computer; this OSD contains an encryption key to access it. Slide it into the drive and it will auto-execute."

"Huh, that's what she said."

"Mgghhhfff, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh! _Always_ a pleasure, Spectre. Oh - and _do try_ to keep bloodstains off the carpet will you?"

* * *

><p>Aran swaggered into SI's offices as if she owned the place, a fact not shared by the two Human male cops riffling through filing cabinets and throwing papers everywhere.<p>

"Freeze, lady. This office is sealed! You better vacate the premises!"

"Or what?"

"Can you believe this haughty bitch?" Cackled one, his friend was bent over clutching his knees such was his mirth. "Human Spectre my ass! I bet she's just another aching slut! Come here babe!"

He reached out to fondle Aran, the last greatest mistake of his hormone-fueled existence. His friend thought his eyes were playing tricks on him or he'd slipped himself one too many doses of LSD when his buddy's arm was pushed _through_ his back, the shoulder a porcupine mash of white bone needles sticking through a red, pulpy mess; the hand an ornamental feature stuck to his pectoral.

The shock was too much for his system to bear, the crooked cop fell into a spreading pool of red that darkened as it was exposed to oxygen. Aran had dislocated the ball and socket joint with one hand and then struck the joint with unerring precision, sending the limb like a spear into his lungs and spine. The other took a moment to consider the implications for his own imminent expiry date. Then he crapped his pants.

Samus roared a terrifying battle cry as she parted his head from his shoulders with a back hand swipe of her kopis. The helmeted head spun as it arced across the room, leaving a crimson trail across the stone walls and landed at the feet of another group of officers.

Constable Jones looked up from Ryan's decapitated head as if in a dream, to see a tomahawk spinning at him, his vision died as it embedded into his faceplate and split his skull in two, throwing his body back in a sick backwards somersault.

Before one of them could retrieve their guns, Aran had cleared the ten metres between them in an impossibly long jump. An economical stab as she passed claimed another for the ferryman, she was able to withdrew the star metal blade while she flew. Upon landing, her crouch turned into a crab-step spin that alternated in either direction, first laying open the cop's belly, then hewing his legs out from underneath him, his kneecaps split in two. As he fell, turning over like a rolling pin, Samus carved out the right side of his chest with an upwards reverse strike.

The move didn't stop there, she flew upwards and then back and over the last one's head in an upside down flip twist, summoning her axe to her left hand with biotics while the bodies were still in mid-air and capitulated another cop's head in half diagonally. His brains exploded into magenta mist such was the speed of her dual blow.

Her six-part twist ended with a perfect dismount - just before the four bodies struck the white carpets after her, leaking life blood like a glacier gives water to tributaries. Aran knelt in the pose, then twirled both weapons idly as she stood. Enjoying the perfect balance and the swish of metal through air as they shone, dripping maroon droplets.

Crismus Draven was more than a little concerned when he radioed his men on the lower offices, no-one answered. But no shots had been fired, they couldn't have been attacked, could they?

"DRAVEN!" Echoed a voice that cut to his soul. "STIRLING! I know one or the other of you are here. I've come to deliver a_ message_. You unenlightened divots have mistaken the stars for their reflections in a gladed pool!"

The Turian police constable looked over the office balcony to see six of his men had been cut to pieces; and Shepard, she was standing there, her feet ringed with corpses, holding of all things, two medieval weapons!

"Tear the bitch apart!" He roared to his compatriots, "she's a goddamn _lunatic_!"

Many opened fire, only for Aran's gravitonic barrier and Neutralino hard shield to halt the fusillade.

"No _use_..." Aran chastised them. "No use - at all. Do any of you think you can _honestly win_? I do _this_ for a _living_!"

She aerial-cartwheeled into cover, slotted the tomahawk into her assault rifle's storage compartment and deployed it. Shooting one handed, she leaned past the corner and picked off three more cops with pin-point accuracy, leading the targets if they strafed, blowing their arms, legs and heads off before finishing them with a quick burst that released more arterial spray and bone shards.

"Throw down your weapons!" She bellowed, "or you're all going to die."

"Screw you! Shepard!"

"You don't know who you're messing with, bitch!"

"I've fought in wars!" Aran yelled back, "this is NOTHING!" True to her word, Aran broke cover and ran up the wall, forward rolling over the railings and kicking two to death with the same number of explosive movements. Three more blocked her path, coming at her with shotguns and stun batons. Aran threw her weapons into the air and finished them with her bare hands, _with_ enough time to catch her rifle and short sword after she'd grabbed one's head in her powerful hands and turned it round so that when he was walking North - he'd be facing South.

Rising, Aran pinned one to the wall through his throat and pulled out her silenced HMW riot-gun. It sounded like someone coughing into a barrel when it let loose its report. The main sounds were the screams of men, one who fell back from the grain cone with his forearm pulverized, the second spread caught him in the face, liquidating him. Another babbled pleas for mercy when Samus pulled him from his hiding place and jammed the gun into his visor, she didn't bother to shield herself from the spatter, knowing that the psychological effect it would have on the remaining units would be devastating. It added to the ferocity of her appearance as well; for she walked after them leisurely, taking her time. Besides, she had locked the offices down, there was no way out. For any of them.

"You scumbags are making me blush... You just keep on _dropping dead _for me!"

Draven knew she was right, this was a battle he could not win, the Spectre was better armed, better protected and most of all: had the advantage in every mental and physical sphere. What's more, Aran was on a combat high, her abilities and fighting prowess operating at peak efficiency.

Seven men fell, riddled with bullets from shotgun, rifle and pistols: "Blowing hot and cold. That's _all_ you degenerates can do. So because you are all _lukewarm_, I will spit you out of my mouth!"

Five men slumped, their bodies crushed in a telekinetic grip, organs disintegrating from the inside with biotic fire, turned to carbonized skeletons that crumbled away or char-grilled by bolts of lightning: "Come on you screw-heads! You fuck wits! Just TRY and kill me!"

Two were left, Draven and a Human: Johan. An unnatural calm had descended on the office, the ghosts of the dead were departing, he was sniffling in fear while the Turian rearranged his grip on his pair of sickle knives; he could not see the Spectre, she was stalking them, whistling a jaunty tune as if from a nightmare. Where was she!?

Johan's courage broke, he fled for the exit, Draven followed him at speed but as they reached the transparent-steel doors they heard a scuffle from one of the offices.

"Leave me alone! NO!" There was a sound of breaking glass followed by a beeping sound as a grenade blew out the interior from one of the cubicles; where an ERCS guard had apparently barricaded himself. Then - the sound of footsteps arrived - along the upper level. Slow and deliberate, inevitable.

Samus Aran landed behind Draven and Johan with both melee blades stained with red and blue. The Human spun about, only to be hoisted by her kopis point entering his shoulder, the man was tossed above and aside before the Turian cop attacked her with his long knives, trying to hook the blades into her vitals and tear them out. The huntress simply parried every one of his frantic moves, until he had tired, then she trapped his arms against his armpits with a quick double flourish and swept both her hatchet and sword back and forth in less than a second. Cleaving him in twain in a massive fount of navy.

The last injured pig crawled on his belly as Aran walked along side him, she spun the sword and planted it through the base of his skull as she passed, pulling it free without sparing him a single glance.

* * *

><p>When Kaira Stirling and four other security staff entered the SI offices, they were treated to a scene out of The Book of Revelation, the ground was strewn with bodies, walls painted two coats thick with Human and Turian blood and at the centre: Sat Samus Aran on a communal bench, her blades sticking out of the permacrete where they had been slammed home, she was bouncing a flash drive with Lorik Qui'in's data on it in the palm of her hand.<p>

"Took you a while," she muttered, putting the evidence away.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Shepard." Stirling was suicidally confident, a biotic herself, she must have thought that Aran would have been drained from the slaughter. She was anything but, not physically at least.

"Do you plan on making me leave?"

"_Leave_? You think I'm going to just_ let_ you walk out? _Nuh-uh_."

"All of you are as crooked as Ephialtes of Trachis and if you think you've trapped me here; you've got another thing coming. I've been _waiting_ for you..."

"_Trick_! Anoleis would throw you _off world_ for what you've done here, _I won't_. You know what we did to cop killers on _my_ world?"

"You're breaking the law for bribe money," thundered a voice of iron from behind Stirling's little group, they spun round to see Urdnot Wrex holding both his pistol and shotgun. "You know what we do to _dirty cops_ on _my_ world?"

"If you want a fight, Sergeant Stirling," ventured Aran, tiredly. "I'll give you your last."

"You can talk the talk, let's see if you can _walk the walk_ after I break your legs!"

The battle lasted less than two seconds: Aran caught three with a pistol quick-draw, placing ten shots in less time than it took for a Human to blink, while Wrex blew one of his own away and brought down Stirling's barrier. Samus activated the sword attachment and dived around Stirling's flailing form, severing her leg above the knee with an inwards swipe which lifted her into the air. Aran then brought her blade down on Stirling's head as the policewoman flew parallel to her abdomen, destroying her face and slamming her into the ground with the crunch of breaking bones - but she had been dead before she even hit the floor.

"Damn, Shepard! Leave some for the rest of us _mere mortals_, will ya?"

"Sorry, Wrex. But these people are fools."

"Yeah... I should eat 'em."

"Heh."

At an unspoken command, the Paralyzer morphed back into a hand cannon and she and Wrex went on to clean-up. Double tapping anyone who could have possibly survived their injuries. Before leaving the ruined and blood-drenched office behind. There was so much in fact, that you could smell the stale iron in the air.

* * *

><p>Kaidan had not spoken to the Commander all afternoon but he had been sent to find her by Wrex after he had returned from the SI offices: they had dealt with a surprise attack from Benezia's Geth troops hiding within her cargo crates in the mean time.<p>

When Alenko entered the bar, he was surprised to see that even Qui'in had not been able to rouse Aran from her dark mood. She sat at a booth in the back, her pistols lying on the table top for all to see; her palms on top of one another and lying on the table as well, still as stone.

The Human bartender stood next to Alenko and followed his eye-line to the brooding Spectre at the rear of the establishment.

"Do you know her?" He asked carefully.

"I do."

"... Do something," he begged. "She's abnormal. All my patrons have been scared away because of her."

"Did something happen?" Kaidan replied, worried about Aran still since she had wiped out the Cerberus experiments on Edolus, he had seen it in her eyes and in her actions; they had opened up old wounds. And now she had been forced to kill these police officers... How much could one person take?

"No, but she has just sat there for nearly _two hours_ now, staring at her guns. Maybe she's going to, you know..." The bartender mimed shooting himself in the head and Kaidan left in disgust, making a beeline for Aran's table. With the man looking on nervously.

Alenko stood opposite Aran, watching her meditations for about thirty seconds, then he said softly.

"Shepard."

She didn't react for a whole minute, but finally faced his sorrowful gaze.

"Answer me," he begged as she seemed to stare beyond him, unblinking. Another minute passed. "It's me - Kaidan."

Samus didn't know what to say.

"Why are the firearms out here?" Inquired Kaidan carefully.

Finally, she spoke: "I'm looking at them... And _hate_ them." She said it serenely.

Kaidan rubbed his mouth in concern and answered quickly, saying what he believed she needed to hear.

"It's just two pieces of iron and _nothing_ more."

He leant forward while standing, hands on the table top, trying to impart the same confidence to his words as she was able to. Turning them into the most powerful weapons of all. "I remember your own words: 'I am not a weapon, but I harness that weapon for the sake of others.' That's a huge difference from what you must be feeling now, all the _death_, all the_ lies_."

"... Grey Voice said that. But I didn't understand his words at that time, I carried weapons and armour instead of casting them away. I was never _meant_ to be a killer... I don't know _who_ I would have been; that I could even _choose_. Old Bird spoke of love, therefore I refused the callings of revenge. I once tried to live as a pacifist for many, many years. Instead of killing... Just constantly killing."

Kaidan sat, not even knowing where he could begin to console her, matters of existentialism had never bothered him too much.

"I think - " Aran leaned forward, her eyes suddenly abright again, when they had been subdued and murky a few seconds before. Kaidan had his chin tucked in contemplatively, sitting side on from her, thinking desperately how he could repair the damage he had done to his leader's psyche and confidence. "I think that Liara may be able to save me from myself, I can't truly find love with her until I can find myself, until I've finished that job till the end. It's _fate_, she _grounds_ me. I can be _myself_ with her."

"I know you were harmed so much in your youth, Shepard. Not only you but - Killing, won't ever give you relief. Once you start, you can never stop and you'll - lose _all_ you have... You'll lose _her_."

"But I can't truly _find_ her."

"Listen, if she and you are destined for each other, than what will be, will be."

Aran gazed at him intently, trying to find the solar flare, that spark of idealism that would ignite and burn away her darkness.

"But now," he continued, almost on the verge of tears: "You have _a duty_, like every Human being, every _true sentient being_. To _use_ your gifts. These guns are something useful, to protect you, Liara, the squad. They need _you_ - are _waiting for you_... Liara loves you, she, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, Ashley, Joker... _Me_ - it's so many, Shepard. You can't just ruin it, you can't leave you're friends..."

He broke down and wept, his face buried in his arms, head on the table. Sobbing. Aran searched her soul and reached across to him, grasping his wrist in shared comfort.

"_Kaidan_!" She breathed, voice overcome with emotion "You have a friend! Me! I'm not going to abandon anyone."

Alenko gulped and tried to say something, but failed, eventually he stood and stiltedly said: "Liara's on her way you know, wouldn't trust me alone with a matter like this, I, uh - "

"Kaidan."

"Yeah?"

"... Thank you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **And thank _you_, for reading this chapter! I hope it was worth the wait. Next time, a snowy chase through the Aleutsk Valley, the lurking terror of the abandoned Central Station and most of all: the remnants of an ancient space-faring race, harnessed as beasts of war and turned loose on the foolish individuals who wished to use them for their own nefarious ends! And at their heart, a Mother controlled and manipulated by an Ancient Evil...  
><strong>


	30. Power is a Curious Thing

**A/N: Guys, I am _so - so_ - _sorry_ how late I am. I've had much less free time than I would have expected, what with trying to find part-time work; let me tell you, it's a full-time job! But boy have I got a treat for you guys! To commemorate the anniversary of my online publication, (same month at least,) I have, not _one_, but _two_ chapters for you guys to enjoy! ****Boss battle music for Matriarch Benezia: 'Metroid Prime OST - Menu Select Theme' by Kenji Yamamoto. (Shame it's never used during an actual Metroid boss!) or 'Deus Ex OST - House of Revenge Trailer/Namir' by Micheal McCann. (The latter track is too damn quiet in-game during the actual fight against the Tyrant's leader!)**_  
><em>

_"And then I realized, that they were stronger than we were. Because they could stand that these were _not_ monsters. These were men, trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love... but they had_ the strength_... the strength... to do that. If I had _ten_ divisions of those men our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men, who are moral... and at the same time who are able to, utilize their - _primordial instincts_, to kill without feeling."_

_(Colonel Kurtz)  
><em>

**Power is a Curious Thing...**

"We set off at first light; visibility will be poor so we'll stay in a parted-convoy formation. Captain Matsuo told me Benezia had _dozens_ of those supply crates. Meaning that there could be anywhere from between a hundred to _three hundred_ Geth units out there. Plus a full drop ship detachment of deployed ground vehicles."

Aran was briefing her team on their vehicular journey to Peak Fifteen. After the massacre at the SI office's she had piped the hacked video feed of the battle to Anoleis's terminal and him alone. He had responded by begging her not to expose him to the NDC and she had passed on the stick to beat him to her friend, Lorik Qui'in. They would first discover what lay within the hot labs in the Skadi Mountains – if it was nothing the Administrator was involved in; then she'd only ensure he never worked in this sector again, instead of remaining destitute for the rest of his natural life.

So far, Tali, Lilihierax and Garrus had managed to break down the majority of Geth parts from the refuse heap and prep the M35 Mako, the M39 Bull sharks and the two loaned M29 Grizzly rovers for any manner of situation. Including a make-shift ambulance, fire-engine and in case of a real emergency; a survivable bunker with plenty of winter ration supplies.

The Commander had made a formal apology to the security chief for the loss of her people and she respected the woman for understanding that rebellion spread like plague, undermining the order of society; she'd done Noveria the first of many favours in sweeping out the corners.

By late afternoon, Aran and Dr. T'Soni were making their way to the garage as the preparations were finalized.

"Are you sure you're alright, Samus?"

"I'm fine, Liara, really. Killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it. But butchering the misguided just feels - arbitrary... pointless, a waste of potential. I'm rambling."

"... What happened when you left the Normandy?"

Aran stopped and looked back at Liara's earnest expression; she'd honed Liara's skills in perception well enough it seemed.

"How did you know I left?"

Liara shrugged.

Aran sighed heavily, the pair stopped by one of the rock pools by a nearby staircase and decided to sit down.

"Thanks to Ashley's help, I tracked a witness from the First-Contact War to Palaven; as providence had provided, she was hired by a branch of Cerberus to assassinate me. So I got to her first, used her family as leverage, I'm not proud of it..."

Liara listened raptly.

"She was well prepared, nearly killed me. I choked her to death and shot her son when he attacked... Better to die so young than to live without her."

"By the Goddess...! That's - awful!"

"It's not _awful_, it's heinous, it's monstrous. I _know_ the difference between killing and murder better than anyone - and I _murdered them_..."

Time stretched out between the pair.

"I can still see their faces, the faces of the innocents I've extinguished. Every one of them, tormenting me."

"Then that's the punishment you pay for fighting in the name of a greater cause; you taught me that."

"It is a lesson which I wish I had never learned, this... _Horror_ and - complete, _moral terror_. A thousand _years_ of war, slayings, countless assassinations..." She shook her head in sadness, it was not because she had been _permitted_ to fight and kill, it was because she was _compelled_ to. The living paradigm of a soldier who fought so that others might live. A terrible truth in a world that was, and will always be made; by killers.

"I sometimes don't know _what_ I am."

Liara squeezed her hand in comfort: "I can show you."

Samus put on a brave face, her lower lip quivering - but then it was gone.

"_How_?" She managed eventually, nearly choking on the word.

Liara joined her consciousness to hers and highlighted many of Aran's brighter memories. The populaces and civilizations she'd delivered from nigh obliteration, the families of kidnapped targets she had reunited and all the other many acts of good.

"You see? You've always fought for more than yourself; you just needed to be reminded."

"Mhm, well... you have my _eternal_ gratitude, T'Soni. I'm not sure how I ever got by without you all those years ago."

Liara turned away coyly, tracing the line between her head tendrils while she blushed to the roots. Pink dimples appearing on her lightly freckled cheeks. Samus turned with her, jaw slackening, as if she was seeing the Asari maiden for the first time in her life.

"My God, Liara. You are so _incredibly_ beautiful."

"Oh no, no," she gasped in further joyful embarrassment as Samus activated her omni tool's camera app and took three pictures of her next to the stairs, with the blizzard raging past the windows in the background she looked celestial and divine to Aran's eyes. She'd definitely be saving one of these for an electronic picture frame.

"Not that I don't appreciate you noticing my glamorous side, Samus, but we've tarried long enough."

"You're right, I don't like this place, too many dark secrets."

"The sooner we are off this frozen world the better." Liara harmonized, understandably worried about what they would find up there.

* * *

><p>The Aleutsk valley was an icy tundra of bleak mid-winter. Once upon a time, such an environment would have been fatal to the huntress, but she had evolved beyond such petty limitations. Sitting and just barely concealed in the open turret of the M29 as the five vehicles headed down through the heavy snowstorm, she ignored the cold, in fact she didn't even feel it; her homeostatic control remaining perfectly at thirty seven degrees Celsius and her extremities in no danger of numbing or frostbite.<p>

She adjusted her woolen bandanna and pulled up the collar of her coat, the icy wonderland whipping by at seventy miles an hour, thankfully the roads were wide enough to accommodate the whole escort.

_"Shepard,"_ announced Garrus over the radio, he had taken the driver seat of the Mako at the head of the procession. _"We've got Geth bogeys on radar, ground forces, armatures maybe even land speeders judging by the speed they're closing in on us." _

"Good," she replied, "they're going to make for the M35, if I know Saren, he knows which one is the Normandy's main rover, they'll be wanting to take me out early in the engagement and watch the rest of you flee."

_"That will _never_ happen, Shepard, I've got your back."_

"And I've got yours, detective. Get them into position, I'll do the rest."

Sure enough, the convoy was beset by Geth land skimmers and other hovercraft, all totting full kinetic barrier defences and bristling with armaments. Wrex took the opening volley with an adrenaline-fueled laugh that was typical of his people, an attitude which they practically _lived_ off. Spinning the steering wheel and smashing the other Grizzly into the smaller Geth speeder, sending sparks flying off the mountain wall as it was scraped along. Juggernaut and Destroyer-class platforms exited the top of the vehicle and began to jump onto the tank.

Vakarian likewise took a corner at nearly sixty miles an hour, the speeder tailing him couldn't make such a maneuver in time and sped off the cliff and into an icy hell hundreds of metres below. The side compartment opened to reveal Tali and Kaidan both totting RPG's, the Lieutenant's first shell missed but the Quarian led the enemy vehicle and put one in its aft repulsorlift, causing it to flip madly along the snowy track only for Wrex to drive straight through the still spinning and flaming wreckage, in turn sending his boarders flying like chaff.

The remainder of the attack group began to deploy proximity mines to split the Spectre's vehicle party in two. Aran was actually alone and the most vulnerable to draw any concentrated fire. Controlling the bulky six-wheeler via remote while wielding the roof-mounted cannon was exactly as easy as it sounded, but the hunter relished the challenge.

As the Geth began to harry their Commander, Li turned the Mako's turret around and let loose with several short bursts. Samus combined the barrage and together they made two more speeders go up in balls of blue flame.

Flying hover skiffs exited from the side gulleys, all packed with hopper and other melee classes of Geth, ready to sabotage the convoy up close and personal. Five of the synthetics leapt onto Aran's M29, a Destroyer charged her, bowed against the slip-stream wind. Aran kicked the turret making it swing around and bat the platform clean off the roof as the hoppers stuck explosive charges onto the armoured hull, some crawling onto the underside and fixing their payloads near the axles and hydrogen cell.

Samus activated her below the shoulder reverse omni blades when she got into a palm pushing contest from behind with a five hundred pound synthetic, cutting off the Destroyer's arms at the elbow as they revolved with her mental commands, then she rolled onto her back and kicked out with both booted feet, smashing the platform off the roof to skip across the road in a collection of tinny squeals.

Thankfully, the trucks were all going along a straight and into a large tunnel through the mountain, Aran shot several hoppers off the roof with the Paralyzer's electro-plasma setting, followed by gathering a heavily concentrated biotic shield around her and fastening the grapple whip of her morph weapon around the tail-bar.

"What's the Commander up to?" Asked Liara from inside the other Grizzly, Wrex answered.

"She's being dragged along underneath that tank!"

"What!?"

"I know, a woman after my own heart!"

Samus held on doggedly as she removed the other suicide hoppers from the undercarriage with her HMWP Mk. X in one hand while tarmac skiing on her back, front and side with the Paralyzer's electrical tether stopping her from falling completely away, her omni tool remotely disabling the mines.

Unfortunately, one more hopper had landed in the top compartment and affixed it's grenades between the armour plating. The M29 went up, causing Aran to be flung over the precipice, still holding on to her Chozo and Spectre handguns. She wall ran at full speed, just managing to abseil in style before the tank went over the edge in burning pieces. Samus had built enough momentum to catapult herself using a large protruding boulder as a springboard, soar through the air, doing an aerial twist, half biotic charge to catch up and land neatly behind Ash on the other Bull Shark motorcycle while it was traveling at nearly eighty miles an hour.

"You're crazy, Shepard! You're crazy!" Screamed the Gunnery Sergeant over the sound of the engines.

Samus spied the side holster near the baggage rack; she drew and expanded the shotgun while spinning the trigger guard once around her finger and simultaneously charging it.

"That's what my ex-husband used to say."

While the Commander picked off anyone who dared get too close, Tali, Liara and Kaidan left a carpet trail of disruptor grenades and other EMP booby-traps behind them, blowing their pursuers off the road, which in turn was quickly becoming more and more treacherous.

Li opened the front passenger-side door of the M35, allowing Aran to jump the two metre gap to the step ladder and climb in, after some quick seating re-adjustments, Samus took the wheel to the Turian's protests.

He soon stopped complaining when his fellow Spectre activated the handbrake, spun the tank fully around while still reversing at full speed and let the angled nose of the tank stop the twin pit-maneuver the Geth had been trying to pull, Liara pulled the trigger of the cannon and blew them to smithereens.

More Geth boarded, Aran growled and spun the wheel rapidly while still hugging the edge of the road, sending them tumbling into the abyss. Then, to everyone's surprise, she slammed on the brakes, slowing down to around twenty. The Geth speeder struck the rear bumper and flipped over the tank, allowing Liara to shoot it in mid-air and for the party to drive through the subsequent wall of flame.

Another quickly took it's place, a hovercraft armature which tried to push them off the cliff through grind ramming. Samus responded in kind but in this contest they were outmatched. The enemy craft drew back, then surged sideways to knock them off, Aran simply activated the jets and jumped over the attack, not even bothering to watch the armature over-shoot it's mark and plummet to it's doom, while Lilihierax and T'Soni did so with open mouths.

"Looks like they're the _fall_ guys," Aran quipped airily.

_"We've nearly got them all, Shepard. They're _falling_ back."_ Radioed Garrus

"Don't you start as well, Garrus. Brooding may be both our fortes but _I_ tell the postmortem puns on this team."

_"No really! They're backing off!"_

Samus checked the digital mapping, they had indeed retreated and were firing siege pulses - at the snow-covered cliff-face above them...

"Everyone..." Aran keyed into communications, "drive for your lives."

The cracking of a torrential amount of ice and snow is similar to that of a great beast, elemental in strength and majesty, breaking free from its confines in a single, all-consuming, destructive intent for freedom. The south face of Peak Fifteen came away, and carried with it over five hundred tonnes of rock and permafrost to obliterate the Normandy's shore party.

Unfortunately, the last huge U-shaped track to the facility proper, wouldn't give them the time to avoid the gargantuan landslide.

"Drive for the gap, we'll jump it."

"Shepard, even with our improved boosters there's no way we can make that!" Tali practically shrieked in fear.

"Have I ever led you guys astray? Follow my lead!"

With the avalanche right on their tails, the convoy activated their nitro thrusters and tried to bridge the fifty metre divide. Aran closed her eyes as the team sped off into the void, they opened, blazing with biotic power, along with an added golden tint of a more spiritual presence.

Wrex and Ash were the first to see it, they were traveling on a rapidly assembling (and disassembling behind them, though it remained static;) bridge of dark energy. One that was holding the weights of four vehicles that amounted to nearly eighty tonnes!

The insubstantial crossing faded out as they reached the other side, Samus slumped in her seat and allowed Li to take over, though they could now drive leisurely to the front of the lab complex.

Once they'd all arrived, Aran shook of her compatriot's praise, there was still much work to be done.

"How did you do that?" Liara asked in wonderment.

"Size matters not," Aran lied grimly, creating large stasis-locked biotic cobble stones that could support two tanks and two rovers, rapidly, one after the other was a difficult task - even for one with such prodigious abilities.

Samus and other members of the team took off their overcoats and left them in the vehicles, their leader added knee and elbow shock absorber straps to her fatigues, along with her ballistic blade attachment and an enforcement gauntlet.

* * *

><p><em>Ten minutes later...<em>

The Commander and the team had entered Peak Fifteen's garage area and been set upon by a Krantt of Krogan mercenaries and heavy infantry platforms, despite their entrenched positions, it had not gone well for them. With Wrex and Garrus dragging their corpses into a pile to burn, while Aran, Li and Tali investigated the consoles around the area, trying to find some sort of facility-wide communique that could have been issued.

"I've never fought my own kind," Garrus broke the silence awkwardly as he and the Urdnot giant both flung a cadaver onto the heap by it's arms and legs.

Wrex was silent as the grave, chewing on his tongue, preparing to say something unpleasant. But Garrus surprised him.

"How do you do it, Wrex..." a note of, admiration? In his flanged voice?

The blood-crested Krogan took a few seconds to respond, then: "Anyone who fights us, is either _stupid_, or on _Saren's payroll_. Killing the latter, is _business_. Killing the former; is a _favour_ to the _Universe_."

_"User Alert!"_ Echoed a canned, female voice over loudspeaker, it seemed that Li had found a company warning memo and played it back.

_"All Peak Fifteen facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Bio-hazard materials present throughout facility. Virtual Intelligence User-Interface off-line."_

"We'll need to get the reactor back online," said Tali and Aran simultaneously, exchanging smiles at their similar trains of thought.

"Come on, everyone. Li, Tali, up here with me. Ash and Kaidan, cover our flanks. Wrex and Garrus, bring up the rear and make sure we're not being followed. By bio-hazard materials I don't think they meant the worst we'd encounter would be industrial spillages."

Through the labyrinthine corridors, the team progressed, senses straining for any signs of life, nothing, so far.

Upon reaching a security checkpoint, there was a rather ominous sign.

"Why are the turrets facing the wrong way?" Wondered Tali with no short supply of misgiving.

"They want to keep their people _in_ - more than they want to keep corporate spies _out_," Samus explained quietly. "Keep alert, we're not alone here, I can smell it."

"Yeah, that might have been me," said Wrex apologetically, rousing nervous laughs from all present and the evil-eye from Aran; before they all continued on.

* * *

><p>Samus gestured with an array of hand signals, preparing to jump into the open and deal with any Geth patrolling the area. 'Three... Two...' she counted down to the others on her fingers, 'one!'<p>

They breached and cleared the shattered mess hall, snow was falling through the broken sky-lights and now blanketed the floor, Aran rolled forward, then dived through the air, firing both pistols and taking down half a dozen shock troopers. Garrus and Tali pinned down the other half with sabotage fields, allowing the other five to fill them with accelerator grains.

"To me!" Ordered Samus as she noted the lack of useable cover, the squad of eight got into a back-to-back circle and scanned the outlying offices for any campers, there was an eerie groan of metal and a scuttling sound through the buildings ventilation system.

Li checked his sonic radar: "Multiple hostiles, incoming."

"ME signatures?" Posited Aran, only seeing red blips on her simplified retinal HUD.

"No, organic fluctuations."

"What kind of animals?" Tali asked nervously, "this place is in bad shape."

"What - the _hell_ are those!?" Gasped Kaidan in horror.

One level up, past a screen of glass, squatted a creature from nightmare. A four legged terrestrial arthropod of incredible size, covered in dull, brownish red armour plating, a curved and bowed neck, bulging muscle squeezing from between the exoskeletal pieces, at the tip of it's eyeless 'head' there was a circular mouth that split to reveal a maw of razor-sharp fangs. But it's most bizarre feature were the twin 'pods' at the end of two remarkably agile antennae, that swayed ominously, saying anything but a friendly hello; if anything, it looked like the alien was salivating in hunger and that it was beckoning.

"Weapons free, they're underneath us as well," Aran notified the squad, leveling her Paralyzer at the familiar creature, this was the kind of prey she was best at hunting. _'Monsters huh? After this there'll be one less to worry about.'_ She thought grimly.

With an ear-grating shriek, the insects attacked en masse. Wrex seemed to recognise the morphology of the race on a subconscious level and attacked with, (even for him,) uncharacteristically brutal vigour.

Concentrated fire ripped through flesh and acid sacs, bursting shade-shifting green blood onto chrome and snowy surfaces, the critters were fast, though. Scuttling along the office spaces, loosing streams of acid in return or leaping across the room at the squad with their strong spindly legs.

Tali nearly lost it as one of them flew through the air towards her, her fear of all things arachnid flaring up, but Wrex was having none of it. He stepped in front of her and punched it square in it's ugly face, sending it crashing through a splintered table, he tied it's antennae in a knot then proceeded to kick it's head in before delivering the kill shot.

Keratin spikes on waving tentacles burst from the ice, showcasing their hardiness in hostile environments, Aran sliced them off with her forearm-mounted, double-bladed omni tool programme as they attempted to impale her. Liara sucked two more, who were above ground into a biotic vortex and Samus synchronized her own skills with dark energy manipulation; closing her fist and crushing them into paste

One charged for the Lieutenant, Kaidan turned aside and delivered his favourite move in trench warfare, a biotic kick beneath where it's chin should have been situated, snapping it's head back so that it landed on it's back like an overturned beetle; Ash took over and shoved a white phosphorous grenade down it's throat, her Phoenix armour protecting her from the corrosive bile. The alien burnt alive from the inside out.

Realizing that bullets didn't have the desired effect of dropping these bugs instantly, Aran deactivated the isomorphic security on her Paralyzer and called to one of her most beleaguered colleagues: "Garrus!" The Turian dropped his assault rifle, whose rounds were being eaten by the alien insects, and gladly accepted the thrown hand cannon as Samus got into a deadly melee with three of the spider-tanks. Vakarian aimed down the sights of his Commander's pistol and squeezed off four rounds, two soldier crabs were vaporized on the spot with golden plasma discharge that left only mist behind, he looked at the weapon with new eyes.

"Holy shit!"

Li was no slouch either, his tech skills loosing sabotage field darts that contained Phosphazene alkaloids in excess of pH 14, they saturated the naturally occurring acids the aliens were using into a harmless, mildly alcoholic base. Tali fired a mild incendiary holograph into the mix, setting the bleach-like-substance that oozed out of them alight, the creatures squealed as their shells popped from the inside out, as if they were lobsters in the roiling cooking pot.

Samus fell among the final two, ignoring the scratches they gave her as she laid open one's spine and pulped the other into oblivion with her enforcement gauntlet, she charged the omni shield then brought the lower rim down on it's crooked neck, severing the arched head.

"WAH HAH!" Roared Wrex in victory, smashing one's body underfoot with his three-toed boot, then, to the surprise of everyone, he grabbed the shattered lower half of a melted alien bug and drank it's bluish, neutralised blood as if he were a Viking berserker, drinking from his enemies' skull.

"Now _that_ was a fight to remember! Rachni! Of all the foes we could have fought, things _sure are_ interesting tagging along with you, Shepard."

"I'd join you in celebration; this brings back good memories, but... Rachni? The _extinct_ race of sentient tunnel crawling termites?" Aran toed one of the felled bodies as it began to dissolve.

"Seems like it, we'd best move on though, they secrete pheromones when they die to alert more of their kind in the vicinity, let's vamoose."

Liara spoke up: "Xenobiology is not my field, maybe someone in the labs knows how they breached their containment. Not to mention where they could have obtained Rachni tissue from after nearly nineteen hundred years."

"_And,_ how and why they were cloned in the first place," Li finished ominously.

"Well that's obvious, isn't it?" Said Aran, arms crossed and standing away from the main group, "more tools for Arterius - and the Reapers."

* * *

><p>Though the soldiers of the Rachni war party were good ambush specialists, they had a Krogan and a Chozo warrior with even keener senses to counter-act them. Periodically, they would burst from vent coverings or ground ducts and attempt to rush the squad, but they had more than enough firepower to deal with the aggressive stragglers.<p>

Central Station had been completely abandoned by it's staff, not surprising considering the influx of deadly beasts roaming the corridors, the team got a taste of their lethality when Aran nearly had her hand melted off by their acidic projectiles; thankfully all she had to do was mix some of Li's alkaline solution with her organism's self-perpetuating medi gel to neutralize it, from which she tore the leather glove that had fused to her flesh clean off, (taking a few strips of meat with it,) then watched as it healed completely within twenty seconds; much to the Turian's disbelief.

Eventually, they reached the apex of the station, at it's heart, the VI interface terminal and its connections to the helium-3 reactor core. After clearing out any Soldier and the smaller, but no less deadly, Worker Rachni, they got to work restoring the systems. Li and Garrus made for the roof to re-connect the landlines and allow Mira; the avatar of the Virtual Intelligence interface to open up the lifts to the core walkways. Aran descended into the crawlspace for the memory terminal and within ten seconds had manually rebooted the systems, having to pull off a simple Hanoi Tower algorithm, (two to the power of four minus one,) to bring the facility's protocols back on-line.

_"It looks like you're trying to restore this facility, would you like help?" _Blathered the VI persona, a woman called Mira.

"Crap, the VI girl," growled Aran in irritation as she typed rapidly on her Savant, crossed a dozen wires and received the responses in instant binary text form.

_(0111001010... Statement: Catastrophic Laboratory containment failure. _

_Stipulation: Emergency guidelines: 101000110101011... Frigid environment will kill biological contagions. _

_Addendum: May also damage mechanical ones 1100101... Stage I Alert: Contaminants released from Laboratory Pod Gamma / Stage II Alert: Hot Labs isolation tube breached, tram-line shut down... 00010101011111..._

_Conclusion: Stage III Alert: Shutdown status broadcast to local NDC administration... Standing by for Code Omega input.) _

_"That Salarian, bastard!" _Aran inwardly raged, realising that the smug, corrupt administrator had been counting on them getting to Peak 15. _"If the Rachni escape the facility in force, Anoleis will notify the Board and they'll launch an anti-matter warhead right on top of us!" _

From there it was a simple matter for Tali and Samus to get the core up and running, purge the Rachni 'germs' that were stuck in the decontamination chamber through activating the security's revived plasma jets; and board the trams that headed for the main research laboratories at Rift Station.

* * *

><p>"It's <em>quiet<em>... Too quiet." Wrex challenged, as the team headed through the still deserted corridors; it seemed the Rachni didn't waste any scraps when they got hold of live prey; eating them then and there - whether they were dead or not bore little importance to the rabid beasts.

"The look on your face, Wrex... I _looove_ the classics," Aran intoned back, with the same silly dramatic undertone - making Wrex the butt of the joke as the team passed him, everyone laughing nervously, considering the danger they were all in, soldiers tended to appreciate humour all the more, especially because every laugh, could be their last. The Krogan Battlemaster stared at the back of his Commander's head with an intensity that could melt durasteel, one thought racing through the primordial centres of his brain. _Revenge!_

Clearing through one set of automatic doors above the tram station nearly led to an all out firefight between the shore party and the first survivors they had seen since arriving. Thankfully, their leader was quickly able to calm the frantic ERCS mercs, despite the fact that many of them looked like they hadn't slept for forty eight hours._  
><em>

"Stand down. Sorry," answered a brown-skinned, bald military man with heavy bags under his eyes and a perpetually glum expression plastered on his face. Lowering his rifle: We couldn't be sure what was on the tram."

Samus scanned him and his men, they were tense, who wouldn't be having to fend off these nightmare aberrations but there was also, _fear. _Fear of a certain Spectre who they, in all likelihood had been told to keep an eye out for by their employers. Saren and Benezia.

Aran decided to play it diplomatically, for now: "Can those things work a train's controls?" She stated skeptically.

"Hell if I know, I'm not assuming anything's out of the realms of possibility where those bugs are concerned. Look, you're not one of them so that's enough that I won't shoot but I need to know who you and your friends are."

"Agent Shepard, Special Tactics and Recon."

"Huh," the merc leader's pupils dilated and even in the low light, Aran saw him gulp and swallow past his Adam's apple. "I won't look a heavily-armed horse in the mouth."

Aran didn't appreciate the metaphor.

The team shifted uncomfortably, Samus waited for him to continue, when Captain... Ventralis (according to his name tag,) only stared at his own feet in disquiet while his men gripped and ungripped their weapons; she asked him what the sit rep was.

"The aliens overran the hot labs last week. Only Han Olar got out, and he ain't all there anymore. The first we knew, the bastards were crawling into my command post - We had _a lot_ more staff then."

"Taken by surprise like that, you did well keeping most of the civilians safe, you've done a good job here, Captain." Kaidan comforted him lamely.

"Yeah? Sure as hell doesn't feel like it," replied Ventralis grimly, "at our current strength, there's no way we can repel those things."

The old fire came alight in Aran's eyes as she looked up from examining alien viscera on one knee: "I'm packing fire and steel, they want to fight with claws and teeth... It's their funeral."

"You've got _my_ support, the Board sent an Asari to clean up the mess. She went down to the hot labs yesterday; we haven't heard from her since..."

The Commander wondered why he was suddenly volunteering the whereabouts of Benezia when she hadn't even asked him: _"They know why I'm here."_

No harm in playing the hero card... "I'm not going to let any more of your people die today," assured Aran, it was said quietly; no boast.

"I have to - stay here, hold out and protect the civilians. There's an emergency elevator out by the trams. This - mag card will let you activate it, take you down to the hot labs. Oh, if you need first aid, Doctor Cohen's downstairs in the med bay."

"We'll do that, the acid those things spit is nasty. How secure are you here? What are your defences like?" Asked Aran as they were let through the barricade, the shifty soldier's, with their darting quick looks following their every step.

"Secure enough that you shouldn't poke in corners," huffed Ventralis somewhat tetchily.

"Just offering some deployment advice," Aran assured, holding her hands up. "I'm impressed with your set-up, it can't be easy repelling assaults for a week - but you're also lucky they're dumb animals; three coordinated guys could take this place."

The mixture of charm and intimidation thawed Ventralis out: "Well, the layout is easily defensible by a few people, that's not counting the automated defences."

"Early warning system's? You must have some to have weathered it this far. To know they were attacking." They'd reached the Captain's office, Ventralis showed her the blueprint, sweating slightly.

"Mhm, turrets, alarms and cameras. They're all routed through a central location, out by the quarantine labs."

_"That's where Benezia is!"_ She thought in triumph. Absorbing all the relevant information that the Captain was espousing, he was obviously trying to get rid of them...

"One guy can lock down the whole facility from there. The security hub's the last logical fallback position and we'd have cover from the turrets all the way."

"Thank you, Captain. You've been most helpful. Two more things, what can you tell me about the aliens?"

"You should ask Dr. Olar, he's the only Volus left in this place."

"Noted. Is there any way to determine the situation in the hot labs," Aran gestured at his terminal and scattered files.

"Fraid' not, the facility's off the network. The only way to find out would be to send scouts down the elevator and I won't send _my_ people to their deaths."

_"Just us,"_ Aran clenched her right fist, hidden from his view but then thought otherwise, these guy's weren't corrupt, just men doing their jobs, she would try to avoid conflict with them at all costs. Take a furtive approach...

"Last thing, I promise, what about the structure of the hot labs itself?"

"It's built into one of the glaciers further down the mountain. Real old, thick, stable one. Something goes wrong, they heat it up and sink it into the ice. Normally the crew gets to the labs using a tram from Central Station. We've got an elevator that connects directly, but it's for emergency use only."

Aran secretly melted the card that allowed access into omni gel behind her back, she would not go the way a potential enemy advised her, _ever_.

They were interrupted by one of the ERCS soldiers entering the office and babbling incoherently: "Science pukes, should just bug out and leave em' to die. All their fault anyway. Heh! 'Bug out!' Heh! Heh! Heh! Heeeh!" He was quickly sedated by his less deranged colleagues and Ventralis looked after the man with worry in his eyes before resuming the conversation stiltedly.

"Uh, listen. I'm not sending my people down there," seemingly expecting Samus to order his soldiers to do so with Spectre authority. "It's _too dangerous_, you understand?"

He gave her a serious look, Aran nodded twice, understanding. He was trying to warn them in his own feeble way, his hands were tied in all matters otherwise.

"How are your people holding up?" Liara voiced with tender concern. Ventralis turned wearily to face the Asari archaeologist.

"We weren't expecting the initial wave. They made it inside," his eye-line pointing sadly at the splashes of blood over some of the work surfaces, paler stains that had been half-heartedly scrubbed away. "We lost some good people. Now we're only just keeping order through long shifts and stims. I don't like it but I don't see an alternative."

"You'll manage, in the meantime, I've got work to do."

"Yeah, I hear tha -"

An assault rifle burst shattered the calm, the soldiers were firing, the Rachni were attacking.

"Hell! Man the perimeter! Screamed Ventralis to his men and the eight newcomers, the team slammed up against the barricade just as the Rachni soldiers burst from the heating ducts and fell on the defenders with bestial fury.

* * *

><p>Two minutes later, Aran was extracting her still glowing enforcement gauntlet from the Rachni's innards while everyone mopped up the carnage. It had been a surprisingly easy engagement, much to her bafflement, what was the point of their attacks? It was like they were completely crazed.<p>

"Thanks for the help," gasped Ventralis, out of breath after the short but intense skirmish. "Every few hours, a group comes up the tram tunnel. It's actually been better since we locked down the elevator."

Aran reserved another factor that pointed to massive Rachni numbers remaining near or in the hot labs.

"They_ always_ attack here? It's not very effective, this is an excellent kill-zone." Remarked Aran, wondering at the creatures' insanity.

"Must be the only way they can get up from the lab, if they try and climb down the mountainside they freeze like everyone else. I don't know why they keep _throwing_ themselves at our defences. Even _animals_ should learn not to stick their noses where it hurts."

"Arrgghhh! Save me Jesus! One's alive! Get away from me!" Screamed one Ventralis's men, kicking the now harmless Rachni Worker, roughly the size of a Stag Beetle through the air, he began to unload an obscene amount of ammo into it's body while drawing out a scream of pure hate. That continued well past the point that the creature had been disintegrated.

"Lyle! Enough!" Warned Ventralis, as his man sprayed and prayed. Aran noticed the kinetic dampener on his 32-G Raptor and with a twitch of two fingers, she deactivated it biotically, the barrel snapped up and into his nose, knocking him out.

A few minutes later, the team had congregated in the canteen where most of the survivors were. Wrex took Aran aside, planning to get one over his Commander later.

"There's something good coming out of all this, Shepard."

"What's that? The science team had over a hundred staff before the bio-hazard outbreak, I see less than twenty of them alive now."

"Not that!" He waved dismissively, "the Soldiers and Workers are mindless, my Grand-pappy told me stories about the Brood Mothers, without her presence all the hatched offspring would be driven mad; these_ have_ to be just cheap clones, we wipe out all the material here, including the core sample; and finish the job my ancestors started!"

"Unless Anoleis tries to do it for us..."

"Huh, he couldn't, the blizzard precludes the battle-stations from even _seeing_ any freed specimens from orbit; he has no evidence - we've got him by the balls." He added viciously.

"That's not our only problem," Garrus interrupted, "Ventralis was lying to us."

Wrex rounded on his comrade, rolling his crimson orbs to the ceiling. "No shit, Mycroft."

"Don't you start with me!"

"_Shut up!_ The pair of you. Goddamn - infantile..." Aran trailed off at witnessing their glum puppy-kicked faces. "Wrex, take Li back down to the tram substation, you two are going to subvert us a passage to the hot labs that Ventralis _can't_ cut off when we head into the quarantine section."

"You think that's where Benezia is?" Liara chipped in.

"Yes, in fact... Ash, Kaidan, Tali, Liara, _all_ of you go together, tell the Captain - we're bringing back supplies from Central Station. It would look suspicious if only the two of you went."

"What about you and Garrus?"

"We'll do what we do best, some sleuthing."

* * *

><p>Vakarian and Aran managed to put some of the scientist's fears to rest and ease the guard's insecurities, during the veiled questioning, Samus noted an Asari scientist taking glances at the pair of them with her silvery eyes. Samus could sniff out a sleeper agent a mile away and this one set alarm bells ringing in her head.<p>

Intrigued, Aran patted Garrus on the shoulder to let him know where she was going and wondered over to the Asari in question, the woman had immediately sat down, eyes closed, sitting in a lotus position.

"Ahem," Aran cleared her throat.

"What?" The scientist said brusquely. Eyes snapping open and glaring at the Commander with barely disguised animosity.

"You're a member of the science team," she inquired politely, kneeling down to her level. Aran's smile was returned with an open sneer.

"Recently transferred, yes."

Samus decided to determine whether she really was a survivor, the one thing anyone wanted to talk about after surviving a life-threatening situation, was the normal and mundane. "Tell me about yourself."

"I am Alestia Ialis from the university of Aurais. Is there anything in particular you want to know, or should I just spout random facts?"

"Oh, my apologies," Aran professed, "did I interrupt something?" the Asari was not aware that Aran had spied on her much more effectively than she had in return.

"I was _meditating_. To a species as brash as yours, it would appear to be inattention."

"Forgive me, I've never seen someone settle into a meditative stance so quickly," any civilian would have retracted their rude words by now, but Aran knew that underneath the 'scientist's' exterior was an arrogant and insufferable Asari Commando, the prima donna's of the special forces.

"You _obviously_ have no experience with meditation then." Alestia beamed nastily.

"Obviously..."

"What do you do here?"

"Molecular genetics, I specialize in biotic-enhanced allele-specific hybridization."

"Ah... I see, you're checking the inherited variation of the Rachni Soldiers, hoping there might be a Brood Warrior's gene sequence in all that splicing your mistress's pet scientists are doing."

"Wha - what are you talking about?"

"I can hear your heartbeat you know, it's quickened ever since I made my way over here; I'm fond of dispensing friendly warnings. Mess with me and my friends... And I'll _snatch_ the life right out of you. Got that?"

Alestia tried to burn two holes in Aran's head with her fiery glare, but she had nothing on Urdnot Wrex, the Hunter simply chortled at her expression and left.

After talking to a few more real scientists and learning that Dr. Zev Cohen had headed up part of the bio-weapon programme, Garrus returned to Aran and told her of the doctor's plight and how it could be beneficial to help him.

* * *

><p>"I like to believe the company finds our lives more valuable than their secrets," explained Cohen despondently. "We lost connection to Mira in the middle of an experiment and the quarantine failed. These three were exposed to a toxin. Something we were working on... I told your Turian friend here, I - I have a non-disclosure agreement!"<p>

"I understand your caution but I _need_ details. What you say won't go beyond these walls."

Cohen sighed but caved in, hoping for a resolution: "It's a weaponized virus, based on an exotic life-form discovered on the frontier. The wanted something that could kill the creature."

Aran and Garrus exchanged knowing glances, _"the Thorian." _They both reasoned.

"But there was no profit in something that kills only _one_ species. We kept working on it, adapted it to affect more species. It's called Thoros-B, is highly infectious _but_, can't pass from one person to another. Like a bio-war attack without a pandemic spread!"

"Things like that _never_ get out of control," Garrus condemned.

"Militaries, governments - they'll get this kind of weapon one way or another! We're trying to _limit_ the damage. I know _you_ can't see that."

"Did your employers take this biological agent?" Samus asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Then it's irrelevant, despite all the Council's motions on the banning of _all_ bio-weapons. Every intelligence agency uses them, how can we make this cure?"

"Our notes and equipment are locked in the research labs next to the science quarters. Captain Ventralis doesn't want to risk more contamination."

"Is he right to keep people out?"

"No! The toxin has a brief period of viability. After that it breaks down into simple protein chains. But he won't listen to me."

"'I'll see what I can do, I know a thing or two about biochemistry, I'll persuade Ventralis and whip up an antidote in no time."

"Thank you, I hope you can do something for these people."

Samus was not being completely altruistic, in truth she wanted a vaccine against Thoros-B to counteract the bio-weapon now that it was in Saren's hands. And, there would be a chance to explore a less well guarded part of the complex...

* * *

><p>Before too long, Garrus and Aran had convinced the Captain of the low risk of their endeavor and had been allowed into the science quarters a level down. The room was open spaced but gloomy, the clear windows obscured by frost with only three miserable-looking scientists seated around a small electric heater and a single ERCS grunt on guard duty next to the sealed research labs where Cohen's research had taken place.<p>

"Okay, this one will get you." Chuckled one of the researchers, a human. The Turian and the Volus both sighed in annoyance.

"How can you tell jokes at a time like this?"

"Gentleman!" Interrupted Aran, "I'll have to borrow your friend there." The scientists looked visibly cowed as Samus ushered the Volus, Han Olar to a quieter corner of the room, it was for nought though, as Olar tended to project quite a bit despite his sombre and subdued tone, it was intensely unnerving, some bolts had been shaken loose after what he'd seen.

"You came to find out about them, didn't you?"

"Do you mean the Rachni?" Questioned Garrus, not unkindly.

"Yes, I'm the only survivor from the hot lab, you know."

"Where did they come from?" Aran quested.

"They found it in a derelict ship. An egg. Waiting since the last battles. They brought it here - "

"Shut your cake hole, Olar! Do you want to get us all killed!" Hissed the Human scientist, terror of the company ruling him.

"I don't have any control over who - lives or dies here, do you?"

"If you're going to be crazy, be the quiet kind," his Turian colleague snapped.

"Crazy?" the word rolled off Olar's tongue as if it sounded foreign to him, "I'm sane. _God_ am I sane... We brought the Rachni back from the _dead_. In retrospect, a bad decision."

"How did you make it out of the hot labs alive?" Aran wanted to know. Volus weren't known for their speed and Soldiers could easily butcher scores of civilians and gorge themselves on their sweet flesh.

"I killed her," he stated coldly.

"- What?" Said Garrus, raising his voice.

"Dr. Zhonmua." Olar continued to recite, emotionless: "We were going to lunch - when the alarms went off. I ran into the tram. And I closed the doors. She banged on the window once. Then they sliced her to pieces. Her head came apart like _a melon_."

Vakarian was looking at Olar with fresh horror and more than a little distaste, Samus just listened silently, not condemning or condoning.

"I closed the door. I killed her."

"Help me stop them then," Aran offered. "I'll make your survival _worth_ something; because it seems to mean very little to you."

"You think I - want _absolution_? There is none, for any of us."

Samus did not agree with his outlook but she understood such dark thoughts well and left him too them, for as long as they were his demons to bear.

* * *

><p>Two hours later... Garrus kept a beady eye out for Aran in the spacious lab area they had all to themselves. Samus was mixing solutions, measured powders and the odd solid, putting them through all kinds of complicated apparatus to make the solution aromatically pure; well beyond the Turian super cop's high school experience in the field. He couldn't even make sense of the researcher's notes, it was all Russian to his eye, even when scanned over his omni tool and printed out in Turian symbols.<p>

"Got it," announced his leader, she held up a freshly stoppered vacuum flask filled to the brim with the cure and kept a few dermal plastic test tubes for herself, to synthesize more in her own small lab back on Normandy.

"Nice one," he grinned, "with that finished, we'll have this mission in the bag in no time."

"Not so," broached a cold, clear voice. "Your mission ends _here_, Shepard."

It was Dr. Ialis, flanked by two Geth soldiers, their omni tools abright, specialized units it would seem.

"Why do they always ignore your allies, Commander?" Vakarian pondered. "Am I just chopped liver to them?"

"Not quite, but you'll soon wish you were!" The sleeper agent taunted him, from around the room, shadows merged and from them stepped another six, leather-clad, full-face helmet wearing Asari Commandos, ready to throw down.

As Aran and Garrus drew their pistols, they were engulfed in a sabotage field from the two Geth, while the hell cats let loose with a wall of lead. The lithium sinks over heated in every weapon except the Chozo Paralyzer, which was not in her possession. Garrus drew it over-eagerly, only for the silver hand cannon to spin loose from his talons and slide across the floor, being struck by a sub-machine gun shot didn't help matters; sending it under one of the lab benches.

The duo took cover behind a reinforced airing cupboard, the Commando's pouring titanium condensate into their shaky protection.

"Garrus! Where's my gun?" Aran demanded, peeking around the blockade while holding her hand out to receive her ancestral weapon. Not noticing Garrus blowing on his sore fingers, _"damn morphing mechanism!" _He blared within his skull, cursing the quick draw.

"Where's my gun!?" She roared over the sound of gunfire, turning back to see Garrus smiling meekly.

"I _burnt_ my fingers and I _chipped_ a talon!" The sometimes nerdish Turian protested.

At that moment their protection was lifted off and cast aside biotically, leaving the pair sitting on the floor like a couple of naughty school children, their knees pulled up to their chests. The Commandos stopped shooting, they were laughing, jeering, over confident of victory.

The beatific bounty hunter and disillusioned detective jumped up, back to back, rotating madly to keep their enemies in sight, despite the nine muzzles trained on them at medium range. Their shields wouldn't stand a chance and neither would they - unless the tables could be turned...

"Benezia will reward me when I bring her your head, Human." Snickered Alestia evilly.

"Oh, I'm no Human," smirked Aran, "you'll find that out to your cost."

"I doubt it."

_"Commander, what's the plan?"_ Urged Garrus sub-vocally through his cochlear implant, a modern wonder; effectively a form of technological short-wave telepathy.

_"We improvise, I'll take five of the S&M rejects and that cow of a leader. Think you can handle the Geth and a pissed off biotic?"_

_"Piece of cake, buu-ht is there any reason I can't just stand behind you and sic Lady Killing Machine on them?"_

_"Six of them together nearly equal my experience, don't want to overstep my bounds, I've taken gals like these one-on-one before, best not to overstretch."_

_"Of coooouuurrse! Wait? How do_ you_ know how old they are?"  
><em>

_"Skin tone, around the eyes and cheeks."  
><em>

_"... Someone's been closer to these kinds of women, and in more than a confrontational sense, I might add. How are you and Liara do - "  
><em>

_"Shut it, you! Enough talk! Let's kick some asses!"  
><em>

Aran did the only thing her biotics could enact on powerful barriers, that took hardly any time at all, and didn't breach anything. She lifted five of the Commando's, Alestia Ialis _and_ herself through the paneled ceiling at an instant acceleration of twenty metres a second.

Chaos, bedlam, anarchy. One's spine had been snapped by the move and the subsequent collision through thin ceramic-based plaster, barriers had been depleted or shattered all together, guns had been lost, balance upset and only Aran had entered fists first before canceling the levitation fields.

Ialis didn't look her usual smug self, covered in dust and spitting out moth balls. To their superlative reputation, the Commandos managed to regain their wits just as Samus knee-dropped the crippled one and finished her off with a spear hand to the Maxillary artery.

Down below, Garrus was in trouble. Though he'd managed to overload the Geth and disarm the Commando of her firearm, she'd happened to dampen his omni tool and monocle visor, leaving her free to bat him around the room like a softball. Garrus ploughed across a desk, sending test-tube racks, beakers and Petri dishes crashing to the floor. Disoriented, the Turian felt for a weapon, managing to scoop up a Bunsen burner, he lit it with one of Aran's matches and grabbed an ordinary can of deodorant from his survival kit. As the Commando rounded the corner, he activated his make-shift flamethrower, barfing orange, blue-tinged tongues of fire straight into his opponent. The Asari fell back, shrieking as her barrier faltered and she caught alight.

Garrus kept up the pressure, but the biotic managed to split the jet of flames and tear the tools from his talons through the power of her mind. A follow-up push threw the Turian agent across the room but he tucked and backwards rolled twice to dissipate the impact, deciding that more cunning was required to kill the vastly more experienced warrior; he vaulted the lab railings and began to crawl through the under layer of the floor...

As above, so below, Aran jumped from rafter to rafter. One Commando leapt after her. Samus executed a pole swing as her enemy landed right next to her on the narrow beam, surging up, the huntress swept her ankle out, the Commando struck her head as she fell, spun over and over, cracked her back on one of the openings and tumbled another twenty feet to land on the side of her head, the loud 'snap!' of her neck breaking meant she was _definitely_ out of the fight.

One hurled a biotic lash, it wrapped around Aran's throat, she slackened it by twining her forearm and foot around the line and yanking forward, the Commando was pulled off her feet, Samus leapt to meet her and punched her in the sternum with a double palm strike, disrupting the biotic attack. Aran did her absolute best, deflecting warp after throw after reave but when the fifth recovered. Samus was knocked by five simultaneous throws clean through reinforced glass and out into the science quarters. She arced across the room and crushed a camp bed, startling the remaining scientists.

Groggy and bleeding from hundreds of small lacerations, Aran spied the Commando's following her through the human-shaped hole, her eyes darted left, a small metal step-ladder.

"I'm-sorry-I'll-bring-this-back-later thank yooouuu!" She called over her shoulder as she kicked it up into the air and spun it like a Bo staff, carrying it back to the fight.

Alestia was first to receive a clobbering, the metal bars slammed flush across her knee caps bringing her down with a cry, the reverse side scythed out and caught her where a Human ear would be, stunning her as she was flung to the side by the force of the blow. The four Commando's rained down biotic assisted strikes. Aran trapped one's front kick and the others punch between the rungs, slid between the small gap, maybe bad luck. Mounted it, banged one's head against the top and jumped off; face-planting another to the floor as she dragged the other Commandos over. Extracting herself from the tangle, Aran faced one Commando head-on. The Asari woman brandished twin biotic blades as she charged, swinging them in an impossibly fast display of skill, a whirling dervish of trained perfection. Aran flash-stepped towards her, a blur, spun once, presented her back and struck upwards with a Panther claw strike while kneeling away. The Commando's face plate and helm was smote asunder by Aran's iron-hard finger tips, the body revolved four times backwards as she flew past and landed on her stomach, purple blood pumping in hefty litres onto the tiles from the massive head wound.

_"Got you!" _Crowed Garrus as he launched his ambush on the now helmet-less and crispy Commando, his sleeper-hold didn't go to plan, the Asari warrior hooked his hamstring with her heel and threw herself backwards, bringing them both crashing to the ground and driving the breath from Vakarian's lungs. She proceeded to elbow him in the family jewels and from there, as Garrus's stomach churned with bolts of pain, he knew he was in deep shit...

Samus faced, three very angry Asari as they cut themselves free from the ladder; focusing, Aran secretly primed her omni blades. The ancient warriors clashed, Samus dived into the fray and took a hook to the temple, she let it spin her around and slam home an omni blade into one's shoulder, eliciting a surprised scream of agony, the blade's holo dial slipped from her wrist to her forearm and revolved, reversing instantly as she slapped one aside, the omni blade burying itself in her lower vertebrae as she turned 180 degrees.

Garrus struggled titanically, wrestling and punching even as the Commando's supple legs snaked around his neck and she began to bend out his elbow across her abdomen...

Taking their arms into a crouched lock while overbalancing the last; Aran used them for a spring-board back flip. both snow boots meeting the third's chin and face-plate with full force, caving the glass, ablative shell and skull beneath inwards by twenty centimeters. The two were catapulted back, one's right and the others left shoulder socket dislocated while still in Aran's grip, she half stood, then brought both reverse elbow-mounted omni blades down into the base of their skulls as they lay on their stomachs.

The Turian arched his back and managed to roll sideways and underneath, bringing him on top and nullifying the arm-bar maneuver, straddling her, he tried to pound her into submission, but the Commando kept him at length with her feet, eventually kicking him to the floor and rising herself.

Ialis regained her footing shakily, noting that she was now alone with Aran Shepard and that her comrades had been put to the sword.

"You scared, bitch?" Alestia spat, as they circled, both bloodied and bruised but now Ialis could see that the Human's cuts and other injuries she had sustained during the fight were in fact healing before her eyes!

Aran merely changed stance sides, keeping her off guard to which angle she would attack from.

"Well you should be," Alestia continued to snarl, " 'cause _this_ Asari Commando is gonna kick your toned ass!"

"Huh, I eat Asari Commandos for breakfast, and when it's dinner tonight, I'll be picking my teeth with your bones!"

"Rargh!" Alestia attacked first, a series of kicks, Aran weaved around the first series, then ducked and caught her calf as it passed over her head. Tossing her off her feet; the Commando landed on her back painfully, but helicopter-swept back up.

Ialis jabbed, kneed and punched more expertly than even Kai Leng or any other N7 soldiers could dream of, Aran blocked and intercepted with one hand, the other behind her back, stifling a yawn. Ialis lost it, she grabbed the Hunter in a head lock and began to punch her repeatedly in the diaphragm, Samus seized her wrist once she'd vented her frustration, massaged her own abdomen with five punches, all of which ruptured internal organs, then grabbed her across the hamstrings and her collarbone and turned her upside down, the result was for her chin to crash into the floor at speed and for her legs to break through a lab coat hanger.

Alestia tried to find the strength to get back up, her face smashed, she rolled over feebly and Aran brought her foot down on the Commando's throat and began to press... Grinding the neck until a healthy crack elicited from the crushed cartilage and broken bones.

Garrus struck the floor almost at the same time, mewling in agony as the Commando killed him slowly with a warp field, her face fixed in a demented leer. That expression promptly changed to cross-eyed and drooling when Aran walked up behind her leisurely and pinched a nerve cluster in her clavicle, she promptly sent a bolt of life-draining force through the physical contact and carbonized every nerve pathway in her body, without any electrical juice to fire all bodily functions, the Commando's body spasmed and collapsed like a cut marionette.

"... What took you so long?" Garrus groaned as he found a tabletop to sit on.

"Traffic," smiled Aran, clasping his wrist and helping one of her closest friends back to his feet. She looked around at the trashed lab, scorch marks and totaled Geth before daubing some medi gel on the nastiest of his cuts, making him suck air in through his teeth bravely as she tended to him. "You fought well."

"Coming from _you._ I'll take that as the highest compliment you can afford!"

The duo broke down into comradely giggles. Until Garrus devolved into coughing on his bruised lung.

* * *

><p>Both scientists looked at the Turian C-Sec Officer and Human Spectre as if they were completely insane, Han Olar regarded them as if they were siblings.<p>

"They came out of there," he motioned to a set of reinforced shutters towards the back of the science quarters, while Aran sat Garrus down to rest.

"You mean the synthetics the Asari had?"

"Yes, Benezia brought them with her."

Aran looked at the sign above said door, then back at Olar: "How do we get into that maintenance area?"

"A team lead would have access. Like Dr. Cohen. He's in the medical bay."

"I know, I'll be going now, thanks for your help."

"Yeah..."

* * *

><p>Back at the infirmary, Aran gladly handed over the flask of the cure and told him about Dr. Ialis's attack.<p>

"Alestia!? That's unbelievable! I - I don't know much about her. She arrived a month ago, one of the shareholders pulled strings to get her here."

"Let me guess," Garrus said with mock pondering, "Saren Arterius."

"... _Yes_, I think that _was_ the name, I don't pay much attention to the other research teams. Look, the guard's, they've been more on edge since you got here. I think they were expecting you. There are more labs in the back, one's they won't even let me into. Just people with 'clearance.' "

"What about the maintenance area?" Probed Aran, "do you have clearance for that?"

"The - maintenance area? Yes, take my pass. But there's just snow back there... Thank you, the pair of you, you saved their lives. I can't thank you enough."

"That's what we're here for - forget about it."

"You know, Spectre. You're not nearly as _cold_ as your reputation has led many of us to believe."

"Huh, well - keep it to yourself, doctor. I've got a reputation to uphold."

* * *

><p>Regrettably, Aran and Garrus were forced to knock out and hog-tie the scientists downstairs, wary of them informing Captain Ventralis of their destination. Han Olar promised to keep an eye on them as they dumped their prostrate forms into a storage cupboard. Then made their way outside and into a natural ice tunnel.<p>

A few Rachni Soldiers blocked their path, but the big game trophies were easily brought down with their freshly activated cannons. Stealthily, the duo explored the corridors, their HUD mini-maps directing them to the largest sealed laboratory, from what blue prints Adam had managed to scrounge up, it looked like a very defensible position, with high catwalks and side rooms, situated around a central observation platform.

As Garrus took a step forward, he roared in panic as a floor panel lifted up beneath his foot and propelled him forwards to graze his knees and elbows while scraping along the floor, Wrex's curved hump and grinning turtle face jutting out of the cleared cover, panel balanced on his crest. Aran lowered the Paralyzer in relief as the now laughing team climbed up from the secret passage along the tram-line's substations that Li and Tali had opened up.

_"Dammit!"_ Cursed Wrex grumpily, _"I wanted to get _her_!"_

When the reunion was complete, Samus filled them in on the cloning machinations of Binary-Helix and how the hot lab elevator was just one point of entry into the main Rachni culture tank, where most of the specimens were located, she tasked Tali and Lilihierax to breach the air vents above the hot lab isolation tube while she, Wrex, Garrus, Liara, Ashley and Kaidan confronted Benezia in the main quarantine lab.

Walking right next to her Liara, Samus was flanked by Kaidan and Wrex to the left, T'Soni had Garrus and Ashley to the right as they entered the lab casually on one of the lower walkway platforms where crates of chemicals and other barrels were kept, they saw a tall black-clad, cerulean figure with a crowned head-dress gazing into a massive, translucent cage, in it. Sat a Rachni Queen.

Matriarch Benezia turned her graceful head ever so slightly as she saw the eight heavily armed visitors enter her stronghold. She parted her tattooed lips and spoke with the wisdom of eons, yet it was a tone marred by discordance and harshness, as if she were suffering from a mild mental defect.

"You do not know the _privilege_ of being a mother," she flung these words at Aran coldly, hoping to pierce her with them. Samus gritted her teeth at the insight, remembering the foster children who had died long before her, the fresh orphan she had euthanized. _"Shut up, girl!"_ She told herself, _"there's work to be done and blood to spill before this day is out. Block it out you sniveling weakling!"_

**"There is power in creation,** to shape a life..." Benezia ventured on gloomily, her phrases clashing with the sobriety of her tone. "Turn it towards happiness or despair."

She looked full into the Queen's prison as she eulogized the gift of motherhood, much to Aran's disconcertment.

"Her children were to be _ours_... Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies." After what seemed an age, she ceased to stare into the alien's cage, who happened to be a great deal larger than any of the Soldiers the team had encountered thus far. Yet Benezia did not release the Queen against them, she had enough power within her own hands.

"I won't be moved by _sympathy, _no matter_ who_ you bring into this confrontation." The Matriarch stated as she looked down at the shore party, noticing her own flesh and blood was amongst them standing against her; the whispers told her to destroy the child.

"Liara is here because she wants to be, not because I asked her to," said Aran, "we've come to take you into custody. I hope your daughter can convince you to do the right thing."

"Indeed..." Mused the ancient teacher of the Siari religion, now the thrall of an Ancient Evil. "What have you _told_ her about me, Liara?"

"What _could_ I say, mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to _kill you_?! What could I say?"

Other members of the team were slowly reaching for their weapons, but bullets would be useless against a Matriarch's fortified barrier, one which had been meditated upon for centuries, resulting in near, ship-strength kinetic shields. It had one main disadvantage, if it was brought down it could only be re-established weeks or even months later after prolonged sessions of dark energy concentration.

"Have you faced an Asari Commando Unit before? Few Humans have." Challenged Benezia, striding to the top of the stair-well and surveying her foes from underneath lidded eyes as if they were no more than insects.

"Considering we're all still standing, what do you think?" Aran retorted, her team armed themselves at a silent command.

Ash went to one knee with her rifle braced to her shoulder: "You won't look so smug with a hole in your head!"

Benezia's face twisted.

"**Your insolence is a poor mask for your _fear_!**"

She drew back her left hand and made an elaborate gesture, her body crackling with indigo light stored over centuries, this was going to be tough. She thrust her palm out in a sweeping mnemonic, releasing a wave of biotic energy, a warp-energy infused stasis bubble engulfed the squad. Before it could crush them all, Aran reversed the polarity, casting it off and re-forming it into a cyclonic tornado stream of pure biotic power that caused everyone's nape hairs to stand on end. Benezia reacted instantly, blocking the telekinetic barrage blossoming from Aran's thrusted hand, drawing the raging torrent back into her cupped palms, held above her head and dissipating the crackling and pulsing power like a lightning conductor.

The team broke off as four assault teams, split between ten Geth and ten Commandos burst out of their hiding places and began to engage Aran's squad.

The Matriarch continued to dominate the threads of throws, counter-pulls, warp shots and other biotic attacks, clinging on to the connection and blasting biotic fire like some radiant goddess. Aran was on the low ground and at a disadvantage, she remembered an old tactic and put it to use; evening the odds. She sent out and began to feed on an electro-grapple tether, drawing out jolts of static energy, expanding a shimmering, crackling wave of biotic force that she could replenish her strength through.

Tiring, the Matriarch pulled back and just as a toddler would win a tug of war, Aran smartly let go of the pulsating rope. The energy was released in an unstoppable shock-wave that Benezia managed to divert to her left, just as Samus had predicted, she couldn't allow the Queen Rachni to be hurt. A wave of that magnitude shattered the safety glass windows of the quarantine lab and let the blizzard rage through the interior, snow whipping around the two women as they strove for supremacy.

The opposing forces reached hurricane power as the flickering bluish witch-fire fields undulated and sparked off each other, Benezia and Samus began to levitate as the forces swept their minions aside to battle below with guns, knives and their hands; they, on the other hand, fought with the hidden forces of the Universe at their fingertips.

Aran's coat and Benezia's robes billowed in the unnatural wind as they tumbled upwards through the air, the snow flakes spinning through a double helix, tracing their moves and attack patterns, each of them desperately trying to land a critical hit that would smite the other from the sky.

No matter what Aran threw at her, Benezia was a true Mistress of Biotic Mastery; she knew how to subvert every technique with a simple flourish, while easily shrugging off damage with her nigh-impenetrable barriers. Their actions and reactions began to amalgamate into a biotic nebulae cloud of lightning and radiation above the quarantine lab.

Samus laughed in anticipation of victory as Benezia closed to point-blank range in the hopes of ending their little contest. The Matriarch had made a syringe needle of dark energy that she attempted to thrust into Aran's eye, Samus seized both her forearms and bent them back as the Asari began to froth with rage and frustration; Aran gradually started to force the implement back towards the Asari's face.

Just as Samus was confident of green-stick fracturing the woman's arms, (even through her strength-enhancing barrier.) Benezia shifted the syringe's position and fired it as a dart from her wrist instead; a display of exacting and unexpected precision. The biotic needle tore through Aran's chest, right above the heart and stuck out of her scapula.

Benezia screamed in triumph, grabbed Aran by the bandanna and gathered a telekinetic attack, hurtling a numbed and momentarily disabled female hybrid through the broken windows and down into a deep snow drift. Some of the crew witnessed the ejection, they fought all the harder. The Matriarch landed on the observation platform, rings of snow dancing around her and six Commandos covering their Mistress. All of Aran's team were alive and vengeful as Benezia cast the strip of black wool at her feet.

"Shepard!" Bellowed Wrex, he finished beating a Commando to death with her own arm and gathered his own biotic power, Kaidan and Liara jumped to his side as four Commando's pinned them from either side. Using combination and tag-team attacks to great effect, the trio of biotics advanced, allowing Ash and Garrus room to lay down suppressive fire and really get onto the offensive.

Outside, Aran lay on her back, she breathed once. Grabbed the biotic bolt embedded in her aorta and made it flare red-shift hot, cauterizing the wound and drawing the arrow free in a single motion, a tiny dose of medi gel healed the life-threatening injury instantly, Aran sat up and cricked her neck with two pops of bubbled air in the dense cartilage.

*Click!* *Clack!*_ "Okay... Let's try that again..."_

She ran, charged and leaped back inside, rising and falling in a wave and dip of nearly sixty metres. Benezia's large eyes froze in terror and awe as Samus rejoined the battle. The snow whipped up in two curved, crossed arches at Aran's back as she descended. A grenade flew into miniature pieces from the Commander's belt, components cast away as Aran fell, ball bearing fragmentation pieces revolved around her in a storm, each one flared in turn, suddenly super-charged with biotically contained electrical energy.

"BONSAI!" Roared Aran as a biotic nexus of energy enveloped her, darkened, deepened, disappeared into her limbs. Then she struck the earth with her fist. And _hell_, was unleashed.

The shrapnel typhoon of metal balls exploded outward in a flash of bright cyan biotic force. Benezia's first two Commando's were pulverized into purple chunks of macerated meat, the accompanying shock-wave swatted two more aside and the splash damage seriously weakened Benezia's shields and staggered the last two, barriers fully depleted.

The last Chozo warrior fell among them, striking out left and right, one omni tool pierced the underside of a Commando's jaw, the orange blade sticking out of her mouth, a jumping strike sunk the other into one's trapezius muscle at a downward angle, ending her as her pulmonary artery was severed, violet blood geysering from the fatal wound. She spun off the corpse, using it as a launch point and kicked Benezia down as her last two bodyguards scrambled up and jumped to her aid.

The team could only watch the melee with pure astonishment. Samus blocked one's path with a body, then did a back-revolving drop kick while holding on to the dead Asari's armpit, knocking one over the railing to fall to her death. She rose and hefted the body into the one with the injured mouth and engaged the only unharmed Asari left. Halting her pistol with a back-turn wrist hold, she grabbed the inner-pocket holstered Paralyzer and pulled the trigger three times, the shots ripping through the material of her coat and striking the Commando in the chest; lurching her back as she hung from Aran's grip - her torso melted.

Benezia howled like a demon and loosed a glowing warp particle that could dissolve galvanized steel. Aran knelt and spun the dying Commando's arm clockwise, sending her tumbling through the air and knocking the Matriarch off balance, re-directing the biotic attack so that it fizzed an entire foot through a metal support strut to her left while the last, profusely bleeding bodyguard wasted no time in trying to batter Aran to death - but Samus was always ready.

She seized the Asari's snap kick under her arm and brought her elbow down on the Commando's knee, shattering it, then flash-stepped and put out both her eyes with her thumbs, _through_ the visor. The Matriarch hurled another warp field burst, Samus used the corpse as a meat shield, absorbing the deadly forces as the upper torso was reduced to pulp; went down and under the body flipping it back over her head, coming up and executing a dive knee which smashed into Benezia's barriers; vacillating the thousand year old alien.

The Matriarch tried desperately to recover, charging an attack - but she was drained of power, even as Aran denied her with a biotic roundhouse kick to the face which sent her twirling on the spot like a drunken spinning-top, without her rapidly waning barrier; her head would have burst like a balloon. Aran reversed instantly, striking with a back roundhouse kick that spun her in the opposite direction, the finisher came in the form of a biotically charged pike kick which caused Benezia's barriers to finally break asunder and for her feet to be spun out as if she were slipping on ice, she flipped over, half forwards, half twisting backwards and Aran hit her with a mild bolt of electricity that jolted her to near unconsciousness and repelled her across the platform to lie in a heap next to a bank of consoles and the Queen's glass jail.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Cheered Ashley as the rest of the team congregated around a now stooped Aran, her hands on her knees and taking measured breaths, her heart not fully healed, Garrus and Liara helped support her while Wrex merely walked past; his gaze fixed on the Rachni Queen within it's transparent prison.

"This is _not_ over," gasped Benezia from her kneeling position on the floor, Aran was impressed with her fortitude. "Saren is _unstoppable_, my mind is_ filled_ with his light, everything is clear!"

"Start talking, Benezia." Aran demanded, shrugging off her friend and lover as politely as she could. "What's Saren's next move? How does he plan to find the Conduit?"

"I will _not_ betray him," the Matriarch replied tiredly, biotics faintly flaring, everyone pointed their weapons.

"Your powers are weak, old one, talk or die!" Spat Aran, her features blackening.

"**You will,** **you...** you must listen!" Benezia's tone suddenly shifted from a rasping malevolence of some unseen presence to that of a softer, more natural voice, her own. "Saren - still _whispers_ in my mind, I can - fight - his compulsions - _briefly_... but the indoctrination is _strong_."

"Like Shiala on Feros," said Liara, her mother nodded miserably, honest tears sparkling on her eyelashes.

"Tell us about Sovereign's indoctrination."

"It is a terror to be trapped in your mind. To beat upon the glass as your hands_ torture_ and _murder_... I was _powerless_, nothing but a tool for Saren. He - sent me here, not only to get this programme back on track but to find the location of - the _Mu relay_, it's position was lost thousands of years ago in a nearby supernova that propelled it from it's home system."

"Someone on Noveria found the co-ordinates?" Asked Kaidan.

"Two thousand years ago, the Rachni inhabited that region of our Galaxy. _They_ discovered the relay. The Rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers; I took the location of the relay from the Queen's mind... I was not gentle." She concluded regretfully.

"_Why_ does Saren need the Mu relay?" Pressed Aran eagerly.

"He believes it will lead him to the Conduit, I would tell you more if I could but Saren did not share his council with me; I was merely a servant to his cause."

"You didn't want this - but we have no idea how long your mental shields will hold, give me the information. We can beat Saren in this race."

"I was not myself, Commander. But - I should have been stronger..." Her gaze alighted on Liara, who looked to be on the verge of tears as well.

Benezia stumbled forward ungainly and held out a small memory drive: "I transcribed the data onto an OSD, take it, please!" Aran gladly accepted it from her, scanned the co-ordinates on her omni tool and deleted the flash drive's contents.

"Beware, Shepard. I did not manage to transmit the co-ordinates to Saren in time, he will peruse you with all his power and find you..."

"Not with the Normandy, he won't."

"You have to - stop me! Benezia begged, frantic. Her teeth grinding together horribly, facial tics going into override, trembling all over. "I ca - I can't, his teeth are at my ear! Fingers on my _spine_!" She began to stagger away, covering her face as if she were undergoing a terrible transformation: "You shou - you should - argh! **You should - "**

"Mother!" Liara cried out in anguish, Samus restrained her from getting too close. "Don't _leave_! Fight him!"

"You've - _always_, made me, proud, Liara. I lo - I - love - " Croaked Benezia desolately, then, her demeanor was subverted utterly, her eyes glazed over and instead of kindness and wisdom there only remained scorn, mockery, hate and absolute power...

**"DIE!" **The Reapers seethed.**  
><strong>

Their vessel threw out both hands, twin beams of biotic energy lanced into Samus and Wrex sending the Krogan over the railings and rebounding the Commander off the nearest wall to crash down the staircase three at a time and crumple at the bottom. Kaidan roared in fright, attempting to shield Liara, he was blasted aside, his barrier just saving his life upon landing twenty feet away and hitting his head. Garrus and Ashley opened fire but every round was deflected off a handheld biotic sphere the thrall of a Matriarch had conjured, violet fiery orbs flew from it and sunk into their hard suits, eating away at them through a dark channel annihilation field. Liara freed the pair from near total incineration by tugging them into a small singularity then squaring off with her mother.

Benezia attacked with manic fury, shredding her daughter's defence as if it were a silk shroud standing in her way, she raised her hand for the killer blow as Liara was driven to the gantry floor. Only for Aran to shoulder barge her in the small of the back. Slamming her into a pillar.

"Get away from her, you _bitch_!"

Silent as death, Benezia grappled with Aran against the front right support-strut, the strength of thousands of sentient minds urging her on, her fingers lengthened invisibly, hot pokers of biotic power extending like telescopes, even as Aran got her in an outstretched, front naked choke hold, the Matriarch buried her fingers in Aran's vitals. Samus hung on despite the fact that Benezia's hands had slipped into her innards and were beginning to sizzle inside her intestines, tearing and burning her from the inside out. Aran's face was a drawn mask as she increased the pressure of her submission hold. Cracking the localized barrier around her throat.

Liara grabbed Aran's fallen HMW and aimed it at the struggling pair, the sights dancing back and forth from her doomed mother and agonised partner. Then, she made her choice.

The gunshot spat a bullet clean between Benezia's breasts, leaving a small purple dot and one that exploded five times the size across her back with blood, flesh and bone. The ancient priestess came up for air, the Reapers leaving her expiring form, her hands slid free from the gasping Hunter.

She finally collapsed against the strut, dying. Aran, released, fell against and had to vomit over the side of the catwalk while she tried to stop her secondary organs from falling out. The team recovered and attempted to administer some serious first aid. Aran shooed them away; recuperating.

Sobbing, Liara knelt next to her mother as she slid down the pillar, leaving a purple trail of blood in her wake.

"I - cannot go on, you will have to stop him, sweetheart."

"Hold on! We've got medi gel maybe we can - "

"No..."

Garrus turned away from the scene to check over his seriously injured Commander again.

"Uh, Shepard, you've got something, sticking out," he reached towards her, she slapped his hand away.

"Oi!" She barked, "don't touch my guts!" She poked the piece of matter back inside her ruptured muscles and laid her hand against the ragged set of ten messy punctures, drawing upon some of her stored Metroid bio-chemical energy and healing the wounds seamlessly.

"Samus!" Shrieked Liara looking at her lover, causing the rest of the crew to look at their Commander archly, now they all knew her real name, Aran blushed like a fire engine, left hand shaking and answered in a rasp: "_What_?"

"Your powers! Use them on my mother! You can heal her!"

"No." Surprisingly, it was Benezia herself who spoke: "He is _still_ in my mind. I am not entirely myself, I _never will be again_," her voice grew fainter.

"Mother...!" Wept Liara, Aran gestured for the others to look away and get busy securing the area. The huntress herself passed by the two Asari and stepped over Commando corpses, making her way to the Rachni Queen.

"Goodnight, Little Wing, I will see you again with the dawn... No light - they always said there would be a - ugh, ah..." she continued to murmur deliriously until she passed from this world forever.

Samus limped closer to the containment tank, the Queen, though a huge beast seemed to be shivering in fright; Aran almost felt sorry for it but they were animals and animals got put down, starting here and now...

It was quite a surprise when the former Federation Star Tracker noticed one of the Commando's, (the one she'd shot in the torso,) drag herself upright and shamble over to the tank, Aran watched, fascinated, sensing the Queen's mental connection to the puppet. It was obviously only powerful enough to animate those who were comatose or on the verge of brain death, as the body barely stood upright and stared ahead, slack-jawed.

"What the hell is going on now?" Wondered Ash, Liara was still comforting her mother's cold body, trying to find solace. Aran figured it best to let her weep, grief was necessary to experience and submerge one's self in; if you were to _ever_ overcome it.

_"This... One - serves as our - voice." _Echoed the Commando_, _again speaking for an alien who was incapable otherwise. The Rachni Queen. _"We - cannot... sing, not in, these low spaces. Your musics are - colourless."  
><em>

"I'll give her some colour," rumbled Wrex ominously, raising his boom stick.

"Wait." Aran ordered, he did so grudgingly. "I filled this body you're inhabiting with enough plasma to pop a Vovon, how are you still alive?"

_"This vessel - is at the edge. Yet, she struggles... You cannot see her magnificence. We are breathing on the - embers... We are the - Mother. We sing for those left behind, the children those - men, silenced. We - are - Rachni."_

Aran's strength had returned fast, she passed the mouthpiece as if she were a piece of furniture and looked directly into the cage and the Queen's oblique eyes, challenging her.

"Did you order your people to kill the science team?"

_"No."_

"Well of _course_ she's lying!" Spat Wrex, extremely displeased.

"Let her finish, Battlemaster. Or you'll have me to contend with."

Wrex shut his trap.

"Good - now, where were we?"

_"We were locked away here, the children are beyond our songs, they have been - lost to silence..."_

Aran crossed her arms, thinking deeply.

_"The children we birthed were stolen from us, before they could learn to sing. They are suffering and cannot be saved."_

"Cut the bullshit!" Snapped Ashley, "_why_ are they killing people?"

_"When the needle men stole our eggs from us, they sought to turn our children into beasts of war! Claws, with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence but the children know only fear if no-one sings to them; _fear - _has _shattered_ their minds!"_

"I understand," Liara said quietly, having left Benezia's side, white armour stained with her mother's blood. "A child left alone in a closet until she is_ sixteen_ would not be _sane_."

Samus sighed, she'd never had the pleasure of meeting a hive race that was not entirely violent like their smaller counter-parts, the Queen could be trying to trick them but Aran could sense true sincerity in the brood mother's words, she would not tell them this to save her own hide, they'd wipe out the children regardless and since these Soldiers and Workers had been reared in captivity, they would have been docile; according to the intelligence they possessed during the wars with the other Citadel races.

"If _you're_ sure they can't be saved," mused Aran, "then we'll gladly put them to rest."

_"It is lamentable, but necessary, do what you must."_

"Has it crossed your mind that you're being played for a _sucker_!?" Wrex snarled.

"You tell _me_, Wrex. The Salarians and the Krogan must have captured Queens in the past and hoped to tame them and their offspring. _Do_ they go insane when separated?"

"... Yeah," Wrex said sullenly.

"There's your answer."

_"Before you deal with our children - we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us, or are we to fade away once more?"_

"No! That's going too far!" Wrex exploded, "there are acid canisters rigged up on that thing, Commander. Set them off! _Millions_ of my ancestors died to put these things down! _Don't_ let them come back!"_  
><em>

"Hate to say it, Skipper. But I'm with Wrex on this one," Ash added, "these things are a menace, we'd be better off without them."

Kaidan and Garrus favoured neutrality, putting the Queen into the hands of the Council so that they could decide what to do with the sole survivor of a potentially war-like race.

"They made a mistake," countered Liara firmly, "they let the Krogan go too far, this is a chance for us to atone, she has done _nothing_ to us!"

"Yet," Wrex grunted.

"The Rachni wars was a misunderstanding! Besides, don't you think there's been _enough_ killing today," Liara fired back.

"There's _never_ enough killing..." He grumbled psychotically, but all Krogan tended to be on that sliding scale.

_"Your companions, hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory..."_

Samus paced, slowly and menacingly, holding another race in the palm of her hand. She had two choices, she could either let her scurry away, or close her fist and douse the Queen's light from the Universe entirely.

"The Matriarch mentioned that you have ancestral memory, how did the Rachni wars begin?"

_"We - _I_ - am not sure, we only heard discordance, songs the colour of oily shadows. You fear that we may attack other nests. We would seek a hidden place, where we could teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we would return."_

"Are you really a survivor of that historical conflict, a clone?" Asked Liara, her scientific curiosity aroused._  
><em>

_"We do not know. We were only an egg in that time, hearing mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after the other. It forced the singers to resonate with it's own sour, yellow note."_

_"The Reapers..."_ Thought Aran, she had guessed as much years earlier, when she had studied all patterns of the threat day and night, going right back to the foundation of the Citadel Council and the early Asari and Salarian exploits through the relays.

_"Then we awoke here, the last echo of those who came out of the singing planet. The sky is silent."_ She finished sadly.

Aran drew up a surviving chair from the dreadful battle which had left innocent but corrupted women dead and disgraced; and held her head in her hands, unsure. It took her ten full minutes of balancing the risks and the possible rewards, then she typed in some code on her omni tool and activated the beacon to transmit the message to Adam.

"I've been down this path before, but only when I had no other choice... I _won't_ destroy your _entire_ race on a speculative scenario. You'll go free."

"Are you _stupid_!" Wrex yelled, "you've_ fought_ bastards like these before, Aran! And you don't _get it_?!"

Samus rounded on him, trying to reassert her authority: "I _get_ that you've been blinded by old war stories!"

"It's too much of a risk! The Council will use _them_ just as they did _u_s!"

"Fine, you do it, Wrex. Commit genocide if it's _so easy_ after what she told us, go on!" She stood out of his way.

Wrex's anger immediately dissipated - he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing but he strode forward regardless, not wishing to lose face. The Commando was launched at the controls by the Queen's suggestion, fearing for her life. Wrex backhanded her aside and the driven corpse was swept up and flung away pathetically, the Queen now cowered and keened through the glass. The Urdnot clan member raised his hand as if in benediction, ready to bring it down and melt her to nothingness...

"... Argh!" He relinquished after a pregnant pause, "you got me dead bang, Shepard... I _can't_ kill her."

"Why not?"

"Because - it would, _lower_ me to strike down a helpless female, but I warn you, _Samus Aran_... If these things start to expand their boarders, _my_ people will clean up this mess just like we did for the Salarians."

"The great and _terrible_ irony - you sound like some right-wing Turian military chief who wants to carpet bomb Tuchanka just to make sure you can never rise again."

Wrex let loose an extended roar at her, a deep guttural bellow that made him sound like a mad hippo, a few precious inches from Aran's face, spraying her with spit. Samus stood her ground impassively, never blinking. Once Wrex stopped and the others had lowered their weapons, she pulled a tissue from her pocket and wiped her face clean with a single flourish, never backing down from the impressive Krogan.

They maintained eye-contact for five full minutes until Wrex conceded defeat and backed down, humbled.

The Rachni Queen continued to speak through the body of the Commando, in barely a whisper.

_"You would give us a chance to compose anew? We will - remember, we will _sing_ of your forgiveness to our children."_

"Wonderful!" Wrex clapped sardonically, not wanting to appear a complete pushover. "Bugs are writing _songs_ about you! Mark my words you'll _regret_ this!"

"We'll see..."

* * *

><p>Within a couple of hours, Aran and the rest of the team had prepped the tank for its journey while waiting for the transport ship that Aran had ordered Adam to send, then she allowed the Queen to exit her cage to the enclosed ramp behind and board her enclosure within the stealth-active vessel's cargo hold.<p>

Wrex was still sulking, angry that Samus had taken Liara's side but at the least open to the idea of having the Rachni on the side of the organics, should, or rather,_ when_ a new Reaper invasion began. The Queen took one last look at the Commander before being ferried away from Noveria to a planet firmly under Adam's control, the first of many allies to come.

Marching through the tramway substation, Aran filled in Li and Tali on how they had taken care of Benezia and released the Queen into the wastes, she winked at Tali when Li turned away, whistling softly, telling her he was glad _he_ wouldn't have to make that report to the Council.

Samus decided to rappel down on top of the isolation tube through the opening her two tech specialist engineers had made and personally set off the lab's security fail-safes to neutralize what must be hundreds; if not single-digit thousands; of Rachni Soldiers.

Once she'd made the seventy foot descent, Aran unclipped her belt harness and fell the rest of the way, landing atop the seemingly deserted room that housed observation windows to the teeming hive within their cubicles another ninety feet below. She activated the iron knuckles on her Paralyzer and breached the convex windows of the curved roof, dropping in as light as you please.

There was no-one present, no-one alive anyway, just a few mutilated corpses. Aran picked her way through carefully, then she noticed one man with a nearly separated leg, barely held together by medi gel and bandages, he was pale and weary but alive as evidenced by his shallow breathing.

She crouched next to him and felt his brow, he awoke with a start, grey floppy hair bouncing on his head as he shook himself like a dog, brown eyes coming into focus.

"Are you here to secure the situation?" He asked despondently in a gravelly Russian accent.

"That's right, I'm a Council Spectre, who are you?"

"I am Yaroslev Tartakovsky, the operations director. I would stand and shake hand but - uh," he indicated his mangled leg.

"Listen to me, Yaroslev, We've got to contain this little situation you and your buddies created. These Rachni are unsalvageable and they must be killed."

"Yes, of course you're right," the Russian mumbled, "they are beyond saving but our mistakes will never be published, you must listen - "

"I already know, damn you! There must be a purge system we can activate, sink this capsule into boiling water from Noveria's icy crust and eliminate any trace of these experiments." She didn't tell him that Benezia had provided her with a back-up of all their research data, she'd made a copy for Adam and the other would go to her dear employers, not even Sparatus could deny that she was thorough.

"A neutron burst system, radiation will kill everything within the station, things beyond get genetic damage of varying degree."

"Unacceptable, we'll kill the survivors, not to mention us," she neglected to mention that her cells wouldn't be mutated and destroyed by indirect ionizing gamma rays out of all present, Phazon hadn't, this certainly wouldn't.

"They can be set off concentrated only here, but that would cause other fail-safes to take over, the reactor will flush it's protection tanks of boiling water."

"Because the Boron carbide cells you have for protecting your own people would allow them to burrow down and escape, protected by your own safety measures. You guys didn't think this through very much did you?"

"Not as much as we should have, no," chuckled Yaroslev weakly. Aran hauled him up and took him over to a set of secure consoles, the arming controls, the Rachni stirred from beneath their broken prison cells. The erstwhile director inserted a key and gave Samus the detonation codes, Aran bypassed their firewalls and quickly hacked into the priority override protocols, booting the reactor into an effective fusion meltdown and aggravating the insects below. Samus smiled as concrete radiation barriers slid into place, probably in the outcome that an executive was present! If not, everyone could burn in their eyes. Easily replaceable. Bastards.

"Code input:" announced Aran to the VI terminal, giving the terminal the last vital piece of authorization. "8 - 7 - 5 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 7 - 9, code omega, local execution," she added the qualifier at the end, just to make sure.

_(01010101... Verified.)_

Klaxons began blaring as a one hundred and twenty second countdown began, it was informing them how long they had until the final, most lethal burst would be unleashed. Aran charged out of the side booth security room to find that some Rachni had already jumped up the shaft and begun to enter through the grates and other broken windows, she blasted them with biotics as Tartakovsky cowered behind her.

Grey water from the cooling tanks burst free, boiling dozens alive while Aran kicked and threw them from the isolation tube or riddled them with bullets and plasma, radiation began to be emitted from the side venting, beams of invisible death which shriveled the insects and made them lose their climbing purchase even as the bubbling water, steam boiling off it began to rise and the entire block started to shift into the ice below, cracking thunderously as the heat and power fought to get out.

Ignoring the ravening bugs, Samus grabbed Tartakovsky by his shirt and threw him from the window allowing him to scream and catch onto the side even as the room tilted and swayed, Aran prayed her rope was still in place; the tube had already come away from the emergency elevator and tram line blast-doors.

Aran heard her Geiger counter going mad but she didn't feel any worse for wear as the pulses reached her. The tube came loose and began to fall, the Hunter activated the grapple whip on her Paralyzer and swung free, climbing fast. Electrical wires melted, saturating the water with juice that added to the cooking potential, the cavernous room was blaring with a thousand dying screams.

Tartakovsky lost his grip and fell, Aran caught him with one hand as she walked up the side of the wall, she blew her shoulder length hair out of her face and in that moment a Rachni soldier reared up from the water, horrifically burned and crisping further both inside and out as he moved up from the protective resistance of the hydrocarbon solution and was bombarded by neutron radiation, pity it's protection blanket was battery acid at over three hundred degrees Celsius.

the Soldier stabbed it's antennae claw straight through the poor director's chest, he looked at it in confusion before it dragged him from Aran's grip and pulled him into a sick embrace, man and mad beast splashed into the water and didn't come up, it was more green than grey or clear now.

Samus scaled the now sheer diagonal wall, sometimes surging forward like a gecko on steroids, shooting any Rachni that got too close - though they _were_ thinning out, succumbing to the radiation and pulled to their deaths by gravity's inexorable force, the water had filled two thirds of the chamber, waves were created as ice burgs crunched through the walls and rocked the contents of the huge lab capsule, knocking Rachni off their purchases, they fell like ugly, bawling rain drops.

Aran was now going hand over hand, nearly at the original flat of what had been the ceiling. at it's obtuse corner, she dropped and slid down the tilted wall, waves rushing up to meet her as the entire superstructure gave way, within seconds, everything inside would be destroyed, burnt, frozen, buried alive and then left to die of radiation exposure. For Aran, that day, was not today. She fell through darkness, flickering light, strobe effect, every element converging and slamming off each other, orange fire reaching out as the reactor finally went up... And grabbed her link to life and the outside world.

She was pulled through the gap, through an individual-sized ice tunnel and then out, hanging limply from the rope as the complex sunk into the glacier hundreds of metres below; leaving tonnes of snow and ice to crash down on top of it.

* * *

><p>Rannadril Ghan Swa Fulsoom Karaten Narr Eadi Bel Anoleis. Was in an exceedingly good mood. Lorik Qui'in only wanted minor favours in return for keeping his corporate theft a secret, Shepard was dead, the battle station missile had been fired, obliterating Peak 15 and all inside. A regrettable but wholly logical solution, the Board was exceedingly happy; no-one could touch them now that the Spectre had been dealt with.<p>

He heard his door open.

"Gianna, I didn't call for you!" He snapped, not bothering to look up.

"I'm not here to deliver your office fellatio you scoffing, slime-faced Rhizopod!

"What the - ?" His head snapped up. It was Shepard, covered in blood, snow, burns, cuts, torn clothing and looking serious as the grave.

He stood slowly from behind his desk, a slow and simpering smile stretched across his frog-like face, _"what can she do? Arrest me without evidence?"_

Aran walked slowly towards him, visage frozen in a plain and neutral expression, they stopped about a foot apart; Anoleis raised his chin smugly.

The bureaucrat received a left cross to the chin for his audacity. He was spun around, saliva and blood spraying from his mouth while falling across his desk, he pulled open the top drawer, yanked out his handgun and turned to shoot the woman in the face.

Only to be nose to nose with Garrus Vakarian, the Turian brought his fist down on the crook of Anoleis's arm with a sick crunch.

"Arrggghhh! Ah! Ahahahaha!" Anoleis half screamed and laughed as he fell to the floor cradling his maimed limb, deep in shock.

"You've broken my arm!" He shrieked, eyes alighting on Vakarian. "You've - _broken_ - my arm! Do you know it's _worth_, you son of a bitch!?"

"Now it's worth shit like the rest of you!" Aran punctuated.

* * *

><p>All in all, it had been one, very trying day. Anoleis had been fired, hounded by Council Operatives for his white-collar crimes, the Rachni had been all but exterminated and they were one step ahead of Saren Arterius; they knew the location of the Mu relay. He did not.<p>

Back aboard the Normandy, after everyone had had a good rest and a square meal. Aran's squad sat in on the debriefing in the comm room.

"What's our next move, Commander?" Asked Ash as they left Noveria far behind. "Head for the Mu relay?"

"The Mu relay could link to_ dozens_ of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's heading it would just be a waste of time."

"The Commander is right, we cannot rush off blind," Liara said forlornly, still hurting from her fresh loss. "We still need to learn more about Saren."

"Who put you in charge?" Blurted Ash harshly, "did the Commander _resign_ when I wasn't looking?"

"Williams... Shut - _the fuck_ -_ UP_!" Aran shouted precisely, making everyone flinch at the choice expletive.

"Sorry, sorry," mumbled a cowed Ashley Williams.

"Forgive me, Commander I was only trying to help," Liara squeaked.

"No, we're _all_ on edge, this is a tough mission, everyone go get some rest, dismissed."

_"Noveria report is away, Commander."_ Joker informed, "you want me to set up the link with the Council?"

"Patch them through, Joker."

Once pleasantries were out of the way with the three Council members; they wasted no time in assessing the mission file Aran had compiled for them.

_"Is this report, accurate Commander?"_ Tevos asked, _"you found Rachni experiments on Noveria?"_

"Yes, I recovered all necessary research for our own ministry's to investigate. Binary-Helix has been crippled financially, the NDC is running profitably and every specimen save for the Queen herself was purged."

"You released the Queen into the wilds?!" Sparatus nearly screamed, "do you have _any idea_ what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the Galaxy? The Krogan could _never_ defeat a resurgence like this!"

"_Peace..._ Sere Councilor. I've _dealt_ with that, the Queen is in a zoological preserve on an uncharted world. The audio recordings I took and her biologically proven memory storage prove that an - _influence_ beyond her ancestors control led to the Rachni conflicts, if you don't believe me, the STG can run their own trials and prove it again."

_"By an _influence_, you're speaking of - the Reapers...?"_ Valern wondered aloud.

"Indeed, it would explain Saren's involvement."

_"Unless it's all just an elaborate ruse to _make_ us think that."_ Sparatus countered.

"For what?"

_"_I_ don't know! That's _your_ job to find out, agent Shepard!"_

"Lilihierax Epyrus _supports_ my findings as do several other of your agents; we have the chance to start anew and if you think I'll disclose the location of the Queen, I'm afraid you're wrong."

_"Your influence within Special Tactics and Recon is slightly troubling, Commander." _Tevos noted, _"__we will abide by your judgement as long as we receive status reports on the Queen's habitation and procreation spread."_

"Of course, Madam Councilor, I'll keep you all informed. And as for my... Huh, _popularity_. You don't imagine I'd turn any of your agents against you, we need to trust each other and in time, once you fully trust in me. I will trust you - with everything. Until then - "

_"Commander, don't you dare cut me off like last time!"_ Sparatus warned.

"Upsee-daisy!" Aran terminated the signal, sick of the politicians.

* * *

><p>A quiet night... Hardly anyone on duty as the rotational shifts intended, even Jeff 'Joker' Moreau was getting some shut eye in a sleeping pod, though many believed he slept in his helmsman's chair.<p>

Samus stood by the Galaxy map alone, twirling the hologram of the Milky Way idly; as she did so, there was a faint beeping sound.

Aran climbed down and investigated the curious sound, it wasn't part of the ship engines or any other device for that matter, as she pried off a floor grate and reached through Normandy's wiring, summoning the offending object with her biotics, some idiot must have dropped his com-link down there while performing their janitorial duties.

The small mechanism slapped into her palm, she looked at it critically, it was a homing device.

She looked up: "No."

And Sovereign came out of FTL space and hovered over the Normandy, enveloping it's pilotless prey.


	31. Deadlock

**A/N: Almost forgot! Saren Boss Encounter music: "Game Underscore Medieval 1" By Olive Musique, or "O Desu's Theme" OldBoy OST.**_  
><em>

_"People need devils and dark gods, if only to give them a foe to rally against, an obstacle to overcome. Your people understand that there can be no light without darkness, no good without evil, no triumph without setbacks. You can't kill me because I'm part of all that you are, all that you've done and all that you plan to do. You don't have to like me. You can even loathe me. But you _must - always -_ accept me."  
><em>

_(Lord Loss)  
><em>

**Deadlock**

"What's going on!" Shouted Liara as the entire Alliance vessel shook and threw it's occupants around like clothes inside a tumble dryer. She and Dr. Chakwas picked themselves up when their Commander's voice blared through the intercom.

_"Attention all hands, we are caught in a ship-wide tractor beam. Sovereign has found us."_

There was an uproar, everyone piling out of their beds and grabbing weapons.

_"Everyone stop! We can't repel boarders, the ship is two kilometres long, there must be thousands of Krogan and Geth troops packed within, we're outnumbered and outgunned."_

Most of Aran's ground squad stormed the stairs and reached the CIC, Wrex giving Joker a piggy-back. They all spilled out into the central hub of the ship where Samus tried to restore calm.

"How did that Turian faggot find us!?" Challenged Wrex furiously. Aran held up the tracking device calmly then hurled into the bulkhead, shattering it into hundreds of pieces and gaining everyone's attention.

"CALM!" She employed her psionic abilities rarely but this time used them in full force to mildly sedate the more terrified ensigns and non-combat personnel. "Calm, all of you, if we panic we're doomed. Saren wants information which means he'll_ capture_ the people aboard Normandy."

"Not without a fight he won't!" Roared Wrex much to Garrus's and Ash's approval as well as many of the marines.

Kaidan jumped up beside Samus on the ramp that led to the overseer spot.

"Weren't any of you listening to the Commander? This is a battle we can't win! We have to surrender!"

"Fuck that! He'll gun us down as soon as they breach the airlock!" Pressly yelled.

"Not true, if he want's my co-operation he'll leave all of you unharmed."

"He's got no reason to,"

"Don't you know who you're talking about - "

"Saren's a lunatic, he - "

It took almost ten minutes for Samus, Kaidan and Jeff to convince everyone of a tactical surrender and then an escape from within. Aran didn't bother to tell everyone that it would only be through her Chozo mind powers that they could survive indoctrination. Arterius would put the signal on full strength to crush his enemies, perhaps leaving them just sane enough to perform a suicide attack on a friendly installation, Samus knew many Alliance code words and other security phrases he'd want to extract; and with her protecting everyone else through passive telepathy, her own mental barriers would be non-existent.

"So we're agreed," Aran announced, watching as her crew knelt around the CIC, heads bowed, awaiting possible death but certain imprisonment and torture. "If any of us get a chance to kill Saren on the way out as we escape, take it; we may not get another chance."

"Talk of an escape is somewhat premature, don't you think?" Liara questioned, evidently terrified even though she knew what strain Aran was putting herself under. They were nearing the colossal death hulk of a ship, from some of the port holes, it seemed like a Leviathan of ancient legend. "We don't even have a plan to get out of this mess yet!"

"I'll admit it won't be easy," Kaidan nodded worriedly. "Saren is no fool, and he won't underestimate us either. You can count on plenty of guards watching every move we make."

Samus spoke up, already feeling weaker and more sluggish than ever before: "Arterius doesn't know how many of us are on board. We all have special talents, talents we can exploit so that one of us can stage a rescue."

"We just have to work out who has the best chance of avoiding capture," Garrus voiced, "probably not me or Wrex..."

"It's a long shot," agreed Liara, "but it's our only hope."

"He'll be watching me, you and Kaidan too closely for any plan between the three of us to work. It's going to be up to one of the others to get us out of this." Samus realised, she surveyed the members of her squad, eyes alighting on nimble Jamie, wily Fredericks and tech-smart Tali. Kaidan spoke up again.

"Well if we're going to pick someone to save our skins we better do it quick, in another minute we're going to have Krogan berserkers knocking down our door!"

Aran gave her candidates another sweep, then turned to Tali.

"I hate to ask this of you, young one. But I believe you can do it, no technological terror can hold one of nar Rayya!"

To her surprise, considering what she was asking her youthful charge to do. Tali stepped up.

"Maybe I can goad the guards into making a mistake. If I can get one of them mad enough they might put me in a separate cell. And with them focusing so much on you three, I'll be able to sneak out of my cell and rescue the rest of you."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Protested Vakarian, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"It's a risk we have to take, Garrus. I can hack my way free from any security cell. Don't worry, I can pull this off!"

"Well, we'll see soon enough," Aran commended. "Now, Joker is the top-priority rescue target, without him we're scuppered. I doubt any of us can out fly that monster except our resident pilot."

"I've dreamed of this day, Shepard!" Joker cried, wiping away false tears. "I get to be rescued by a _beautiful_ Quarian princess!"

"I am _not_, a princess! I'm an Admiral's daughter!"

"Same thing, Quarian royalty!"

"It is _not_!"

"Is _too_!"

"Alright, alright, and we'll also have to disable those tractor beam controls somehow..."

"Me and you, Shepard," Tali reassured, "if we can't meddle with Reaper tech, no-one can!"

"This is it, everyone. In case we don't make it, it's been an honour serving with you all."

Pressly spoke for all assembled: "Sorry for my outburst, Shepard. We can all say likewise, Commander."

"And none of you should worry about Sovereign's influence, I've got it covered." This boosted everyone's morale.

"Hold on! They're dragging us into the docking bridge!" Kaidan informed.

"Good luck, Tali."

"I won't let you down, you'll see, Shepard."

* * *

><p>The enormous cuttlefish shaped ship engulfed the tiny needle that was the Normandy SR-1 and housed the vessel with claw locks on the wing chemical thrusters. As Aran had suspected, Arterius wanted the ship for himself, either as a trophy or as a one-off mole to launch an attack at the Alliance or even the Citadel itself.<p>

Around sixty bull Krogan, all either freelancers or former Blood Pack mercs breached the airlock with an assortment of rather grisly-looking guns and subdued the crew without a fight.

"Shepard, Dr. T'Soni and the rest of the crew have been taken prisoner as you ordered, Battlemaster Inamorda!"

"Excellent. Have you searched the ship thoroughly? Lord Arterius warned me to be alert for any kind of treachery."

"We found a young Quarian girl in the back, near the engines. She's a timid little minx but she's got some fire! Kicked me in the stomach, struggled, swore at me, called me names! Hurtful ones too!"

The other was quick to capitalize on the complaining: "Yeah! Little vagrant pricked me with her knife before we could disarm her. _And_, you should have heard what she said about my mother..."

"What are you two? New born split-plates!? It's a _girl_ you fools! Grow some balls, all _three_ of them if you can! Saren will teach her proper respect for those of the new order once he's done with Kruul Laak, Benezia's daughter and the marine. In the meantime, put her in solitary confinement and make_ sure_ she behaves!"

* * *

><p>With his men and Geth platforms tearing through the Normandy for hidden surprises. Saren Arterius strode from his private quarters down to the prison complex for his many captured thralls. He wore gossamer black robes with twirling Turian patterns in light grey thread over a set of leather trousers but otherwise left his chest bare, the Reaper circuitry that wired through his skin was mainly relegated to his face and left shoulder joint - where it had been cut clean off by the Prothean clone on Feros.<p>

He entered the interrogation wing, the red pulsating light of his masters radiating off the walls and the inner veins of the mighty ship, glancing reflections in his horrible dead eyes; as robotic and soulless as the Geth cyclops's. He first noticed his nemesis, Shepard, crucified to a set of electrical binders at her hands and through both feet. Her head was sagging, she looked exhausted already, he was disappointed; this would be a lot less fun than he thought if she didn't hold out.

His ally's daughter, Liara and the Alliance Lieutenant, Kaidan Alenko were fortunate enough not to be nailed to their torture devices but they did have a light current running through nerve endings that kept them constantly taught and tense, the terrible cramp pains they would experience would be their taster.

"Aran Shepard," he announced his presence haughtily, the only others in the room were a few Geth technicians. Samus raised one bruised and blackened eye up blearily as Saren stopped a few feet away, his cane against the floor while both hands lay on top of the head casually, as if he were at a country club not in a dungeon of pain and misery.

"Ohhh, tut-tut. I see the recent months have not been _kind_ in your case. I _barely_ recognise you." An especially sick joke on Saren's part, as soon as his honour guard of Krogan mercenaries had detained her, they'd beaten and flagellated the former bounty hunter with fists, feet, even spiked chains, she was a bloody mess but it had taken them six hours of continual punishment to degrade her so; and the only reason she had been resting her head - had been to review her mental barriers around every man and woman on her crew.

Saren biotically activated one of the rows of consoles, the drill spikes that had been thrust between Aran's forearm bones and ankle gap joints began to rotate, slowly picking up speed, causing the terrible wounds to rip, tear and bleed all the more. Samus did not betray a peep. She hadn't when they'd been driven home. Though her breathing became more ragged as they mangled the surrounding tissue.

Stopping the device, Saren had to concede that he was impressed; but his professional admiration wouldn't extend so far as to _not_ brutally torture the woman who'd killed his aunt and adolescent cousin.

"Leave her alone, Saren!" Spat Alenko hatefully, "_you_ may not know me, but I'll _never_ forget your face. I see it every night, even as I promise myself I will kill you for what you did to Eden Prime - and for what you did to a true brother in arms; you vivisectionist!"

"Lieutenant Alenko... I thought BAaT would have pumped men of_ action _out into the Galaxy, considering the training methods you were subjected to - but I guess Vyrnnus was too, _soft_ on the majority. Humanity considered _those_ teaching methods barely legal, they were warmups in Blackwatch. No... Now I can see you're just a man of empty words and a liberal's _pathetic_ guilt."

"Coward! You've only attacked civilian targets, even with all this power at your fingertips. You'll die by my hand."

"_Spare me_ your tired threats, you _hairless_ _ape_. I've heard them all before; we'll see if you think the same when the seat of Galactic power is mine and the Turian Empire enslaves every man, woman and child on Earth."

"That..." Whispered Samus, "will - _never_ come to_ pass_... Turn away - _now_, and I won't destroy you and _everything_ you hold dear."

"Ah, Human arrogance, saying that - you _have_ already accomplished a great deal regarding your latter ultimatum, Shepard. You should take notes, Alenko. _That_ is how you face your enemy. Though I'm afraid I'll have to deny her the warrior's death that she so richly deserves."

Samus parted her smashed lips: "Would you mind getting on with it - I haven't got all evening."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! In another life I would have followed this woman in an_ instant_, she _almost_ makes my hatred of your species abate for a short period!"

Liara moaned in pain as her arms and upper chest began to ache as if she were being kept in skeleton gibbet cage. Which in effect, she was.

"Ah, but I'm neglecting my last guest, _Dr._ Liara T'Soni. It's a pity we had to meet like this. If you'd come with my people on Therum, your mother would still be alive."

"It was _your_ doing that killed her! This ship's influence..."

"Yes, the Reapers are true _masters_ of the technological and biological realms;_ all_ things are possible with their power, and once they return - with _my_ help. We will be heralded as true disciples of the Gods themselves!"

"You think the Reapers will honestly let us live?!" Cried Liara in pain and psychological torment.

"There's no choice in the matter, my dear. The Reapers will return with or without my intervention. _My way_, will ensure life flourishes under their glorious rule, rather than burn to ashes under their unstoppable wrath as the Protheans did!"

"I'm impressed, Saren. You gave up being a psycho within an elite military unit - to become a man of the cloth; the Geth Prophet of _their_ return," laughed Aran mockingly. Saren growled as she began to cackle and choke on the irony further; he activated the electric table sending jolts of power through her body until she nearly passed out.

"Humiliate me at your peril, Aran. I respect your dedication and your priorities but you're on the wrong side."

Samus spat blood.

"... Ow." She said, bored. "Really? Cerberus may have worked with you voluntarily on your side projects. But I doubt they'd go along with your major scheme, or the Terminus warlords for that matter; you're alone, just like Harper. Just like me, this Galaxy Saren... Isn't _big enough_ for the three of us."

"Harper?" The Turian Spectre sneered, "he's a Utilitarian _philosopher, _a boy in a man's world who believes that science _fiction_ proverbs will save him from the darkness; but he'll fall eventually, either to one of your dreadful Human survivalist _cliches_, or the ignominy of a bullet from one of us - of _that_, I have no doubt."

"You have some history together, Abrudas told me everything."

"Not just with him, with you as well."

"History...? With me? What are you babbling about now, turncoat?" But Aran's curiosity was piqued, she truly had no idea what Saren was talking about, they had met indirectly on Pinnacle Station nearly three years ago; this marked their actual second meeting.

Arterius raised a hand, covering his mouth; Samus knew he was hiding what passed for a smile on his death mask of a face.

"You mean... Oh, this can't be true, can it? Nihlus never told you...? Hah! Glorious! This will make my revenge _all_ the_ sweeter_, especially since I was planning to show _some_ mercy, instead, your fate will be even _more_ horrendous than you can possibly imag - "

"Blow it out your ass! You warped ungulate!" Snapped Kaidan defiantly. Saren's face darkened and he bared his fangs ominously.

"That's _twice_ you've insulted me, Lieutenant. You won't get a third." He turned to one of the Geth technicians. "Crucify him and activate the torture fields, five minute intervals should do the trick, the same for T'Soni, revolve them into the side chamber - my fellow Spectre's imagination will do the rest."

Samus gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut as Kaidan and Liara screamed blue murder, the machine cruelly pinning them to the rack with foot-long nails, followed by spinal injections bubbling over with nerve sensitizing chemical cocktails and EST bursts to finish the taste of hell off. The whirling of gears covered most of the agonised shrieks but even then it was piped into the room as she and Saren were left alone.

"It is time to put your _loyalty_ to the test, Shepard. I doubt torturing you will gain me your true co-operation. Your will is too strong to be broken that way. However, even the strongest of heroes has trouble watching those they care about suffering... You _know_ what I want. Give it to me and your crew mates need not experience what I can do to them..."

"You're acting as if I _care_, Arterius."

"Don't you? I read your case files, you form attachments too readily, the mark of a loner trying desperately to find her place. These men are your brothers and your resistance, no matter _how slight_ will be returned _a thousand-fold_ onto them!"

Aran shook her head, this information was the only thing keeping her and the others alive but if he was willing to...?

Arterius had Singh and Craig brought in, he asked again. Samus refused to give in. He broke all their appendages. He plied to her again. She shook her head... And Saren began to break more bones...

Samus was shaking in despair and all-consuming pity for her men. She'd failed them utterly, failed to keep them safe, failed to give her life for theirs, instead - that would be their duty and although they howled and screeched in pain as Saren ripped them apart from the inside, they never begged. She'd never been more proud but she'd never felt more helpless and wretched as well, she'd misread Arterius, and now her people would pay the price.

"I tire of these games," Saren growled, pressing down on the metatarsal bones one at a time as Russel writhed in uncontrollable suffering. "I - want - answers,_ where_ is the Mu relay located?!"

The aged huntress met the eyes of Wahib and Russel, there was naked fear there and _blame_, sorrow, unbearable agony; she hadn't thought it could be possible after so long, but her heart broke for them, even as Saren snarled his anger and, admiration?

"Perhaps you need a reminder of the consequences of refusing to cooperate." His staff morphed into the huge, wicked falchion blade, a Turian maxe. With it he chopped off Wahib's limbs one after the other, then left him to bleed to death, he drove the point slowly into Russel's chest until the private suffocated on his own blood; then he decapitated them and threw the heads in Aran's lap, she shifted and wriggled in horror, eventually dislodging them to fall.

"Let's see if we can't find any more of your squad to kill in front of you!" Sniggered Saren sadistically as two Geth floor chiefs removed the corpses of Samus's men.

It went on for another hour and a half, with Saren prolonging Josh Fredericks' purgatory longer than the first two men combined, before double-tapping his brains out and splattering them over the Commander.

"Then there were two..." Saren dragged Corporal Andrews forward, he was the youngest member of the crew apart from Tali, Samus began to sob quietly, her head splitting from the constant mental expenditure of so much psionic power, it had left her weak to the physical and psychological tortures.

"You've lost enough to your misguided stubbornness, Shepard. Alone, you were _invincible_. But now you're dragged down to mediocrity with these _worms _at your side, they make you weak and vulnerable, admit it. _I_ have the power to grant your friends a final reunion with you and a quick end. That is all they can hope for now. But at my side, you and I, _we_ can be indestructible,_ everlasting_. Reagents of this cosmos; free of this - _fallibility _of the flesh."

Samus gazed at him long and hard as he broke Jamie's fingers, ignoring the typical spiel of power and promise. Ash would be after him. Kaidan must have passed out because now she could only hear Liara's pitiful moans of desolation and despair. She couldn't help it, her head turned to locate her frantically as a particularly gruesome howl rent the air; Saren jumped on the advantage like a dog on a meat bone.

"You can hear her suffering can't you? I will have her _gang-raped_ by my Krantt you know, broken in for me. I had the mother, now I'll take the daughter as well! You can spare her all that pain and suffering by simply - answering - my question."

Aran nearly broke then and there, gritting her teeth in dilemma and indecision, there was still _time_, surely!

"That's it. I've had enough of this. bring _all_ of her remaining squad in, I'll execute them right here and now."

"NO!" Samus Aran wailed, her head sagging at long last - not in subterfuge - but in defeat. "... You win."

Saren Arterius grinned in victory.

* * *

><p>Liara and Kaidan held each other for comfort in their shielded prison cell, the cyclonic barriers were deactivated and a barely recognizable Commander Shepard was flung inside by the Krogan guards, what little blood that she could still spill spattering the floor as she rolled limply.<p>

The duo tried their best to dress her wounds with strips of torn cloth but it was impossible. Kaidan felt her brow, she was feverish but also deathly cold, mumbling.

"Oh God, Saren took a _huge_ blood transfusion from her, just over three pints, she's gone into shock. Could even be dying for all I know."

"That man is truly demented and evil," whimpered Liara as she supported Samus's head gently, their Commander's eyes flickered open hazily.

"Don't try to move yet, darling." Sobbed Liara, "you're a mess."

"So are you," Samus whispered, "your poor hands... I let you and the others suffer and die for me and my damn secret and it was all for nuh - nuh - _nothing_..." She was sobbing and crying, all dignity and poise forgotten.

"What are you talking about? Whose dead?" Kaidan urged, sounding higher than the two women such was his grief. It was frightening seeing the two stoics of the Normandy break down as if everything in the world was wrong.

Aran took several hiccuping gasps and stuttered: "Singh, Craig... and Fredericks, all dead, because of me. He would have killed you all, so I - I -taaallke - ke - ked!" She fell into a foetal position and wept, the deaths of countless friends crashing down on her in full, lamenting her strength - and what it had cost her.

* * *

><p>Three levels down, a Krogan brute was trying and failing to get Tali into a solitary prison block.<p>

"Come on girlie! Into the cell! Let's go, I haven't got all night to waste on you. I need to get back to my post!"

"Maybe I'd move faster if my olfactory sensors weren't overloading from your body odour!"

"You think you're pretty funny don't you?" He leered, fogging up her visor as he snorted at her. "But you're only making things _worse_ for yourself."

"Don't see how, not when you open your mouth and the scent of Pyjak dung comes out."

The guard grabbed Tali by the hood and shoved her forward: "Maybe a little time in solitary confinement will teach you proper respect for us. Now get into that cell!"

He propelled her in and turned to leave, Tali called out after him.

"Do all of you wear those adorable armoured uniforms? I know the Krogan aren't considered for their originality or thinking-prowess only your blind idiocy and sick sense of humour!"

It worked, the savage reptile marched into the cell menacingly and pinned her against a corner his hand around her throat.

"You know, that's _funny_... You should tell that to _the torturer_ when he comes to deal with you."

"What?" Whimpered Tali, the young girl underneath playing up a child's fear of suffering. "You're, going to torture me?" The guard released her and she swooned against him, pretending to faint, he pushed her away roughly.

"No snappy comeback this time? The thought of torture _scares_ you, hmm? Well it should! Saren has ways to inflict pain you can't even imagine, mutilation is his favourite and he does a lot worse to the women... But don't worry! It'll be a few hours before your torture begins; we're busy interrogating your friends right now. Hey, I know! You can use this time to think up witty ways to beg for mercy!" The guard hollered at his own cleverness and lumbered out of the cell. The cyclonic barrier shield closed automatically and he walked down the corridor, chuckling evilly.

Tali remained motionless for a few seconds, the she opened her palm, she was holding a security card she'd lifted from the Krogan's pocket; it was for other areas of the Reaper ship, but she sliced it open and re-routed the circuitry with two small lock picks that were hidden in her veil. Without her Nexus omni tool Tali had to subvert part of the field manually with the conductive field of the pieces of silicon, creating a tiny gap at the edge that she could reach through with her couple of fingers and deactivate the shield...

* * *

><p>Saren stood in his office and partial bedroom, reviewing the coordinates Shepard had given him, now Sovereign would dominate their minds and lead him to a thrilling victory. So many ideas... He could send an indoctrinated Shepard and crew into the Human embassy, to butcher Udina and his hated foe David Anderson in one single , magnificent stroke. Or have their pilot drive the Normandy into Arcturus station!<p>

From out of the now dark blue, calm shadows, with only the slightest tint of red. Two Krogan dragged Samus along upright, hands manacled behind her back, they threw her into a chair and one slapped her across the face to awaken her from her blood-loss induced daze.

"It's nice to see you again, Spectre."

Samus merely groaned in response, Saren gestured for his men to get out of his sight, he strolled casually up to the N7 marine and seized her jaw, turning her head this way and that, widening her still open eye like a doctor checking over a patient. He stepped back.

"What are you? Where do come from?"

Samus grinned bloodily, it had cost her to suss out Saren's motivations and behavioral tendencies but she was wise to his angel of mercy act now.

"I - don't know. And even if I did - I wouldn't tell someone like_ you_."

"Why? What's _wrong_ with _me_?"

"I _try_ to serve _life_, but _you_... Only seem to want to _destroy_ it..."

"Ah, Shepard... You're _so_ wrong, let me explain." A great grinding sound echoed through the room as the partially organic, mostly quantum-crushed metal door to Saren's chambers, which was shaped like a great claw; closed. Sealing Samus inside.

"_Life -_ which you so _nobly serve,_ stems from destruction, disorder and chaos. Now take this empty glass," he held up a crystal cup filled it with liquor and drained the Turian brandy in one gulp, Samus sat passively, looking at his extended metaphor with feigned politeness. "Here it is, serene, tranquil, _boring_... But if it is," he sat in his curved throne and pushed the glass from the arm rest, it shattered on Sovereign's floor. "_Destroyed_..." He half gushed and half laughed, a truly bizarre sound.

Immediately, three tiny Geth drones zipped from the shadows of the room on little repulsor lifts and began to clean up the shards, sanitize the spot and polish it until it shone.

"Look at all these little machines, so _busy_ now. Notice how each one is _useful,_ they each have a purpose and a need. Just as _we_ can become useful to the Reapers. Think of the Quarians and how they created the Geth to subjugate their world, their _entire society_ - to their own selfish wants. All those technicians, engineers, millions of people. Trying in vain to create synthesis, a technological utopia. But _we_ can't, _emotions_ are what made them fail, it's what made _you_ fail. You _know_ I'm right, the Reapers didn't wipe out primordial races because they were_ beneath_ them, if we prove ourselves as important utilities we become resources worth maintaining!"

"You're so full of rhetoric, Arterius. As if you could _know_ the Reaper's minds."

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Shepard. _Spirits_, I thought you were intelligent."

"This ship allows you to commune with them, but it also creates the infra sound which they use to keep you a slave. Not that I believe for one second that you were press-ganged into this, you sought it out, I read the files and now - you're the Reaper's lapdog!"

"Close! Shepard!" He chuckled mirthlessly, "but not close enough. We have both seen the visions from the beacons, Aran. They _cannot_ - be - stopped. But through_ my actions_, mothers and fathers,_ families_ will be able to bear and raise their children without fear of enslavement and mental conditioning. They will grow up to be big and strong, having children of their own and so on and so forth. Thus preserving _the great chain_ - of_ life_!"

"Still slaves, a choice made by you is no choice for them."

"You don't really have the _temerity_ to say that _I'm_ the only one who has made decisions for the masses! _This_ - is what we do! We_ both_ encourage life through ways no citizen would ever condone were the Spectre files made public! Blackmail! Intimidation! Torture and assassination! In reality, we're in the same business, whatever your contradictions say otherwise!"

Samus yawned pointedly: "Your masters are as weak as you, I've resisted indoctrination so far, I can resist it indefinitely."

Red lightning crackled from the walls as Saren roared in fury, the ship thudding with his spike in aggression. Aran felt the signal boost in strength, she recited a Chozo mantra to ward off evil within her head and the terrific pain in her frontal lobes began to diminish. The strain was getting to her, though. She very much doubted she'd be a match for Saren in her current state even if her injuries were healed, it cost too much focus to protect everyone but the fact that her body wasn't being exercised allowed her to even cut off the link between the Reapers and Saren, his rage subsided immediately despite the ship's pulsating energy.

"You!" He pointed accusingly at her, "how in the seven circles are you doing that! They're gone! They're gone! I'm - "

"Free?" She negated the protection, feeling slightly rested in comparison, isolating the nanites in Saren's brain from his hippocampus was almost too much; but she'd made her point.

"You see now how your so-called_ power_ counts for absolutely nothing..." Aran stated simply, Arterius was shaking with rage. "The Reaper's empire of destruction _will_ fall and it will begin when I blast this belemnite out of the sky."

Saren's face was twisted in a fit of passion. That was saying something considering the cartilage-like nature of the Turian expression.

"_I'll_ tell you who'll be responsible for what, Shepard. For instance, _you_ are responsible for my continual existence. For I was in a private hospital on Elysium. Right in the centre of Illyria on that fateful day..."

"... You're lying."

"Lies _belittle_ us all; I _was_ there. _All_ those years ago and you _never_ knew." He snapped his fingers, the door opened and his men grabbed Aran and pulled her to her feet. "You saved my life, so in return I'll spare yours. For now..."

"You're a monster, Saren." Samus shook her head in disappointment. Arterius wiped a sheen of sweat off his cheek with the cuff of his robe. And after a short pause...

"_Tuh_, I know." He waved them out.

* * *

><p>Tali snuck carefully through the winding corridors. Though she could hear a strange buzzing sound in the background she did not feel any the worse for wear. Using her guile and stealth skills, she managed to avoid the guards by wedging herself up in a nook on the narrow ceiling, allowing the Krogan guards to pass by underneath. Then she picked the locks of the storage containers and retrieved a basic omni tool, now she was in business.<p>

With it she created basic holo orbs that could be used as distractions, bypassing more Geth soldiers and once she'd spied some of the Krogan using her knife to cut some Varren meat she sneaked after him as he went to relieve himself.

Remembering what Samus had taught her about Krogan take-downs she hefted a nearby fire-suppression cylinder and attached a tech mine to the bottom, then she took a run up. The guard heard her footsteps and spun around. To be met with a metal rim slamming into his teeth and for a jet of carbon dioxide to spray into his mouth. Gasping and gagging he fell on his back and Tali shoved the fire extinguisher down his throat; the tech mine activated, the result was not for the faint-hearted.

Nimble hands rummaged in his belt and Tali recovered her survival knife. It was a lot more than it appeared, unscrewing the cap that covered the pommel, she retrieved a small sonar device that passively mapped the area into her synched HUD within her enviro-suit's faceplate. She retraced the guard's steps and before she knew it. She was outside the aft holding cells.

One of the Krogan sentries was dispatched with a point-blank shotgun blast underneath the chin. The other ran down from his patrol route to investigate the commotion and Tali drained all her borrowed omni tool's power to create a stun dart potent enough to kill when shot up the big lizard's left nostril, smoke and his own brains leaked out of his inner ears as he pitched forward onto his face.

Tali smiled as she reached the main detention terminal. There was no major automated security what with so much manpower around. And all the controls were primarily of Geth integration, out of date firmware as well.

Once all the shields were brought down and the containment corridors opened. The Normandy crew flooded out and (as quietly as they could,) cheered for Tali and her daring. Thankfully, Pressly managed to take charge, breaking open the confiscation lockers and rearming everyone.

Samus was raised by her crew crowding around and helping her up, she was almost as immobile as Joker, who was being ferried around in a wheel chair.

"Good job, Tali!" Cried Kaidan in joy, hugging the pilgrim and swinging her up and around. "I knew you wouldn't let us down. When we get out of this I'm going to make sure you get a medal from the Alliance for everything you've done!"

"I second that," said Pressly patting her on the back, Tali was modesty incarnate.

"Anyone else would have done the same," she mumbled, finding her feet incredibly interesting all of a sudden.

Wrex didn't waste any time as Liara and Garrus supported their bloodied Commander. "We need to split into two groups, I'll lead the crew back to the hangar and free the Normandy from those claws. Someone's going to have to disable that tractor beam's power source if we're going to escape though."

Garrus and Ash along with Jamie, Tali, Liara and Wrex were just enough to guard the plus twenty ship mates of the Alliance vessel though.

"Everyone..." Murmured Aran, the entire crew perked as she spoke. "I'll take down the tractor beam, all of you - _go_, protect who's left..."

"Are you kidding, Commander? You can barely stand!" Wrex spat.

"I'll need _some_ help, if you're all willing to give me a margin of my former health back, I don't want to have to - eat anyone..."

With uneasy laughs the crew decided in an instant, they all laid a hand on each other's shoulders while Samus linked hands with Wrex and Garrus. Samus encompassed her crew in her mind's eye, making sure not to lower the psionic defences. Minute particles of life energy flowed from every man and woman present, Wrex gave her the most and once she'd held on for close to ten seconds she broke with them and pulled herself up. Significantly restored in vitality.

Joker gave her a bottle of water, which she drank deeply from and splashed over her head. Before scrubbing the dried blood off biotically and cracking her knuckles. Jeff even offered his over shirt and tore some strips of navy cloth for her to bind her lacerated, swollen feet and forearms; which she gladly accepted. With no time to get in armour, Samus thanked the main group and turned to leave down the main corridor heading deeper into Sovereign's innards.

"Samus!" It was Liara. She threw her arms around her Commander. "You can't face him alone!" She sobbed.

"I must, my love."

"But your injuries..."

"Nothing, compared to the pain I felt when I knew _you_ were suffering, what's done is done but I can still take Saren down here and now. All of you!" She addressed the crew. "Don't wait for me damn you! As soon as that bird is ready, spread your wings and fly!"

"Goddess be with you, Samus Aran." Whispered Liara as Samus turned and headed into the belly of the beast. As the crew left, Joker remained inconspicuous from the others and began to slip away...

* * *

><p>Aran leapt and wall ran through the ship's infrastructure. Along strange vine protrusions and bloody-lit precipice drops. Relying on her athleticism and biotics to avoid any confrontations. The Reaper had no internal alarm systems, a grave error on her enemies' part but a blessing to the escapees. Samus was certain that Sovereign's main console would be located in Saren's quarters. She had been taken there after all, albeit blindfolded. But that was hardly an impediment for her abilities.<p>

She reached the thin corridor that led to the lift that carried one to her destination. It was packed with Geth and Krogan troops who all turned to face her, Aran gave them a predatory smile.

* * *

><p>'Ding!' The elevator reached the bottom and Ganar Inamorda stepped out, he did a double take. Fifteen men and ten platforms lay in varying states of death and disrepair. Samus Aran stood to the side, arms crossed, one sole against the wall, knee drawn up.<p>

The Battlemaster blinked owlishly, then proceeded to sidle past her on the opposite wall, slow and easy. Without looking her in the eye, He checked his shoulder, she didn't spare him a second glance and went into the lift; he ran for the hills.

Samus activated her cochlear implant, a voice crackled through:

_"This is Wrex, we're at the Normandy. Like we figured it's under heavy guard, but don't worry; We'll figure out a plan to take care of them..."_

* * *

><p>With a mighty battle cry, Garrus chased three Krogan down a long tunnel, screaming at the top of his lungs firing in the air. He turned the corner, his war yowl turned into a shriek of terror as he came face to face with the entire Krogan barracks. He managed to down one with his Seraph before running for his life as the horde chased after him.<p>

"What are you fleeing from, Vakarian?" Laughed Wrex as he saw his compatriot sprint past him in the opposite direction, he turned back to see what could have frightened him so. "Oh crap."

"RUUUUN!" He lowed, overtaking Garrus, the pair just managed to seal a pair of blast doors behind them as the war party slammed against it, reverberating through their bones.

Entering Saren's room, the huntress spied the central console and began to dial down some of the equipment, no effect. So, in desperation, she entered a long forgotten weapon into the ship's computers, a derivative of the Luminoth-made Rezbit virus from the beacon's cyber-warfare archives, now draining it's power to eighty seven percent. The lighting in Sovereign flickered and some went out but they didn't die completely though non-critical systems like garbage disposal and the tractor beam emitters were disengaged.

Suddenly, Aran was gripped in a lift field, yanked from her feet and cast through a Geth-built dry wall. Coming to a rest a few feet from the sheer edge of one of the Reaper vessel's hollow spires that extended down for hundreds of metres, she couldn't see the bottom.

"I _knew_ there was more to you than met the eye, how else could you have beaten my pupil and so many others? How else could you have become the first _Human_ _Spectre!_?" Snarled Arterius, advancing on her with his maxe drawn. Aran found her feet and toppled back slightly as he held her at sword-point.

"I hope you weren't thinking of leaving so soon, Shepard. I've spent_ far_ too much energy hunting down you and your companions to let you get away from me _now_."

Aran backed away from the now glowing and flame-licked metal, stepping out onto one of the inflexible wires. "Who was responsible for planting that tracking device on the Normandy?" She asked.

"You met him yesterday, Raphael Vargas."

"The Sales Rep!?"

"It's _always_ who you least expect. Last chance Shepard, join me and experience a true rebirth, or I'll conduct an autopsy on you while you're alive."

"You don't scare me, Arterius."

"Unarmed and alone against one such as I? You _should_ be. Sadly, I don't take rejection kindly... I'm afraid you'll have to _die_!** AIIIEEERRRGGHHHAGHAH!**"

Arterius lost it completely, he'd been hyping himself up secretly into some sort of blood craze even as he spoke to her cordially. He swung his sword like a lunatic, hacking and hammering, Samus dodged a series of blows and was forced to retreat. The Turian renegade sliced through Aran's thin bridge, causing her to fall to the second level thirty feet below, despite his outward lunacy, he'd lost none of his cunning.

Switching to reverse grip, Arterius dropped down and broke his fall with a tuck and roll. Coming up he countered Aran's right kick to the armpit with a side block and swung his huge butcher knife around to slice across her stomach then over his head to bisect her skull. Aran parried the flat of the blade, his wrist and descending forearm itself with both elbows while turning inwards. Flipping the blade out of his hands and over the railing while heel kicking him in the back of the head.

Roaring, Arterius connected with one of three vicious elbow strikes to the abdomen and chest, Samus blocked the rest but his finisher of an elbow drop staggered her back as it landed on her shoulder. Aran swung wildly, Arterius leant back and kicked for her head, she intercepted it with ease and the Turian laid into her with a multitude of jab hooks that rocked Aran's guard.

Saren's offence seemed never-ceasing, a multitude of different punches that Samus just managed to redirect or counter, but her attack lasted all of a half second as she dived in close for a front clinch, only for him to jump up and rain down elbow strikes that rocked her powerful frame. Arterius shoulder barged her away and kicked to the left up high, she blocked it. Then he dived in low with a right knee.

Samus allowed the second attack to strike, causing her to fall back as he hit her in the thigh, she pulled up and wrapped her legs around his cybernetic arm while falling into his right and grabbing him round the throat with a crossed, behind the neck choke-hold. Arterius was surprised by the manoeuvre and found himself flipping forward onto his rear as Samus threw her back out straight; but her strength hadn't been enough to disorient and face-plant the renegade Spectre. Instead she found him dragging her legs and hoisting her up, preparing to throw her over the side.

She punched him with all her strength, a left cross that on any other occasion, would have shattered his skull. Arterius spat out a tooth and plenty of blue spray as he dropped Aran on her back. She managed to keep him away with her legs as he kicked, stomped and tried to return the favour with a punch to the face. His left fist passed through the gantry next to her head such was it's muscular tensile strength.

Aran seized the sleeve of a right straight and twisted it inward, followed by grabbing his robe's collar and pulling him closer, her legs snapped around the sides of his head and settled on his shoulders, catching him in a triangle choke. Arterius dug his talons into her shoulder but she wouldn't let go, squeezing his carotid arteries with everything she was worth, causing him to asphyxiate and start to black out.

Wheezing, Arterius staggered up from his knees, freed his left hand and suspended Aran's one hundred and ninety eight pounds like she was a child; bringing her back and head slamming down so hard that he cracked one of her ribs and dislodged her hold. But the Turian sadist wasn't done, he cracked the base of her skull off the railings with another lift then hefted her over the side, stunned and defeated.

Wrong. Samus burst back to life and pulled him over the side with her, snapping her legs out to fling him with greater velocity then even herself as he flipped over her. Saren smashed through some of Sovereign's more brittle wires and landed on top of a Geth console, shattering it completely under him and lying in a puddle of leaking orange fluid. Samus bounced off the wall and landed a few feet away from him in a heap.

Around the same time, both combatants dragged themselves upright. Saren tore off his robe so that it couldn't be used against him again, balled it up and threw it aside. Both of them looking extremely worse for wear now.

Saren beat his bare chest with one fist and shook out his limbs in an intimidation display. Samus beckoned him on, he obliged.

Attacking in every definition of the word. Saren charged. Samus executed a jumping, standing back kick that he powered through and elbow bombed onto her spine. The Hunter gripped him around the waist and tried to throw him over her bowed back, Arterius dug in his heels as he was pushed away, Samus still clinging on. The traitor halted the tackle and kneed Aran in the chest, she was thrown upright and received a one-two hook swing to the face that busted her already broken nose.

Saren's finisher moves included a finger jab to the eyes, ducking under her blinded swing and raking his right hand across the small of her back, drawing blood - topped off with his concluding kick that took her in the temple and sent her careening through a panel wall and into a synth-stone pillar, where she slumped, hyperventilating and bathed in sweat.

He hissed in gratification but still felt unease, fresh as he was, she should have been no contest and while he had landed the most blows she had hurt him as well. There was a squeaking sound, it sounded like - wheels?

"Down you go!" Screamed Joker, racing down the access corridor towards Saren, his cap reversed and totting two heavily dampened pistols, he fired on full auto, saturating Saren's barriers. The Turian raised a dismissive hand and a biotic wind lifted Joker's chair and it's occupant against the wall.

"A valiant effort, flight lieutenant Moreau!" Crowed Saren as Joker wailed, clutching a broken collar bone. "But all _for_ _nothing_, your Commander is sacrificing herself so that _you_ might get away; yours was an act of foolishness."

"Guess again, _asshole_...!" Growled Joker, throwing out his hand and looking his Commander straight in the eye. She understood absolutely.

With a flare of biotic light, Jeff collapsed unconscious. And Samus stood easily, her tiredness forgotten temporarily, knowing that her helmsman and friend had given her a short window to beat this bastard down.

She bounced on the balls of her feet, stance loose and relaxed. Saren cursed: _"No! No, that's not fair!"_

He lunged, Samus may have been lacking her precognition battle senses and her usual unbeatable speed but she flowed around him nonetheless, gripping his hips and pulling off a German suplex, Arterius split his head open on the landing. Staggering up he was met with a fist to his bleeding temple splitting the wound open wider, crying out he returned the blow, Aran feinted injury. Arterius began a roundhouse and Samus kicked his standing leg out from under him causing his back to crash down and buckle, his ass nearly touching his chest.

Screaming profanity, Arterius kicked, sliced and punched. Aran outdid him at every turn, Nihlus had had a greater range of martial understanding than his mentor, in fact, the fight seemed to be getting easier. But she had limited time...

She fooled Saren again with a feint, then caught him in the damaged temple with a weaving wind-up punch. step-kicked his sternum and slammed the ball of her foot into his temple again in mid-air.

He staggered back, struck the wall, rebounded and flung every punch and kick he knew at her. Samus retreated and slid to the floor, hooking her calves around his shins and bringing him down, she coiled around him and extended one leg; hyper-rotating his ankle joint until it snapped.

Saren gasped, the pain was too much for him to bear. Samus went further and got his Achilles tendon in a compression lock, the bone of her ulna sliced into the muscle until it tore, Saren finally gave voice to a proper scream, it was music to the Hunter's ears.

Writhing, Arterius kicked her leg with his free foot, doing so with such force that he managed to remove her crippling hold, he limped upright and circled her; wondering where this had all gone wrong, but of course he knew.

Samus attacked first. Saren, overeager, got her in a shoulder throw and tossed the bounty hunter onto her back, preparing to stamp on her elbow. She spun over on to her stomach and scorpion kicked him in the sweet spot again. He toppled back, blood pouring into his cybernetic eyes. He'd been duped, suckered into presenting his back to the spire's abyss behind him. Aran did a back roundhouse kick, Arterius easily ducked it only to discover that it was a double roundhouse that caught him on his head injury. Samus languidly lowered her kick with balletic grace.

Drunk on pain, Saren tried to foolishly imitate the move. Samus ducked the lazy kick then instantly performed a back flip kick of her own.

Arterius's jaw shattered, both joints unlocked and he was flung back over the railing, entwined in the spider web veins of Sovereign's design and entangled; as he fell one of them snapped taut around his waist, suspending him nearly five metres down from the balcony.

Samus dropped her guard, sighing in relief, glad that one of the hardest fights of her career was over.

"Whose life is - _on the line_ now?" She said nonchalantly, she'd rifled through Saren's robe and found of all things, her smokes.

"What are you - doing?!" He rasped nearly incoherent, while Samus studied the threads that kept him from falling. She rolled a thin cigar and lit it with her biotics.

"One way or another... You killed _a lot_ of my friends this night. In fact... You may never get on my _good side_ again..." After taking a few measured puffs, Aran let her cigar case drop from her hand and plummet past the rogue agent, a long, _long_ way down.

"... Whoops."

"So now you're going to_ kill me._ I don't think so_;_ you do that and you'll _never_ find the Mu relay's _destination vector_. And besides, you don't have the _balls_."

Aran contemplated her cigar. "Dumb talk for a guy who's _dangling_ over a chasm." She replied cooly.

"I've seen inside your heart, remember. You don't have it in you."

"Oh yeah?" She began to burn away the synthetic, rubbery rope with a warp spark. "Bet your life?" Aran chided.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry once again, everyone. I was lax in my writing duties, I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again! Next time: Escape, Citadel, aftermath. Excitement!  
><strong>


	32. I Need You to Recover

**A/N: Yahoo! Everybody give three cheers for my new reader; Extortion. Thanks to him I have a backed up copy of this chapter and can put this venture of ours back on track! I thought I could never be excited for Mass Effect 4, but... It will be using the Frostbite 2 engine so... It's going to at least _look _pretty awesome!  
><strong>

_"The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity - it's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud."_

_(Piscine Molitor Patel)_

**I Need You to Recover,**

The sky was disgustingly clear, Sol shining brightly over the frozen cemetery grounds. Not a single dark cloud in the sky to reflect Samus Aran's black mood.

Instead, it was an idyllic winter's day in mid February; and she looked like a shadow of her former self, right arm in a sling and full cast, tucked under her dress blue overcoat, still healing cuts and bruises to her face, hands and neck. The ordeal on Sovereign had cost her a quick recovery; her powers were temporarily burnt out, though to be fair – she should have still been in the ICU like Liara, Kaidan and poor Jeff were after the punishment they had all endured.

The stoic hunter was humbled that the families of her deceased compatriots had invited her and Anderson, along with the other officers of the Normandy - to the private burial.

"_Give me a Viking funeral any-day..." _Samus thought morbidly as the caskets were lowered into Earth's soil. She'd been buried alive before - by the Althiri mafia, an experience she'd not wish on even her worst enemy. Well – perhaps Saren and Ridley.

Unpleasant feelings roiling in her chest, a simmering desire for... not vengeance, she was too old to entertain such a childish thought. No, what she _truly _desired was for her arch-enemy to _see _his complete and utter folly; for everything that it was – before she crushed him beneath her boot.

They were in the armed forces section of the graveyard, many other white tombstones sparkling with frost in the noonday sun. As the reflection blazed once into Aran's eyes, she remembered a similar flash during the nightmare that had been their capture...

* * *

><p><em>The flash of neon blue in Arterius's soulless orbs as he gleamed up at her, full of mockery, hatred and power.<em>

"_I never intended to kill you here and now," she hissed down at Arterius, holding the frayed and freshly burnt through strand that kept him from falling to his death._

"_Oh no...?" Mumbled the Turian with something akin to glee. He'd worked his mandibles until his jaw joints had popped back into place, he seemed to relish his own pain. Masochist._

_Aran's skull burst, the Reapers influence finally beginning to splinter her mental shields, coloured dots consumed her vision and she cried out in anguish. Arterius looped his forearms once around the line and yanked on the synthetic fibrous web. Pulling her over the side before she could brace against the railings._

_The pair of them tumbled over and over through the abyss, locked in a death grapple. Arterius screeching like a man possessed as he punched and clawed his nemesis; who was serenity incarnate in comparison. She twisted him over as they landed against another bundle of strands,stretching them taut with their combined weight._

_Samus straddled the Turian and proceeded to lay into him with repeated blows. _

_Mustering every iota of her rapidly dwindling strength; heart threatening to burst out of her chest it was hammering so hard, slowing, weakening, losing._

_Saren intercepted her fist with his synthetic palm, pushed her torso up as they strained against each other, creating enough room for him to uppercut her under the jaw with both of their locked hands._

_"Hah!" The rogue spat as his follow-up front kick took her in the stomach and clean off his form, sending her back slamming into the railing of a gantry below as she fell twenty feet, her heavy form shearing through the bars, deflecting off the metal surface to fall over the side._

_The huntress hung on grimly by her blunted and round nails, aware that she was nearing complete system shutdown if the fight continued any longer. She just managed to pull her other hand up onto a horizontal bar before Saren leapt from above and brought his heel down on her fingers, forcing her to let go and hang lopsidedly from her right arm._

* * *

><p>Samus examined the cast that contained her still healing appendage, David Anderson and Ashley Williams stood with her at the gravesides, along with most of the Normandy's crew compliment that weren't in intensive care. Only Singh's body had been taken back to India by his family, leaving Fredricks and Craig to be lain beside others who had fallen. If there was one thing Samus could bring herself to despise about her own kind, it was how willing Humanity was to shift allegiances and moral codes, heap the burdens of war on those who <em>could <em>fight and protect. While they led a life of leisure. It made her sick. _Two measly percent _of the entire Human race involved in and around the armed forces; pathetic. The Turians could have wiped them clean from the face of the Galaxy if they had been so inclined...

"Shepard?" The weathered Captain inquired gently of her. Samus dropped their Normandy dog tags onto their respective coffins along with a handful of dirt each, bowed her head, then left with Anderson.

"All the governments of Earth have something to say about you," David ventured as their feet crunched the hoar-frost coated grass. Samus was silent. "Mostly good considering the presence you've made in the Verge and the Traverse. The debrief is absolutely classified, only the Council knows how badly you screwed up after Noveria. Have you been in contact with them?"

Aran shook her head once.

Anderson continued. "Hmm, that's irrelevant anyway, we _all _make mistakes. Even the best of us. Kirrahe _will_ come through; it's only a matter of time before they find that bastard. In the meantime, you've done _more _than enough. Two weeks shore leave; I won't take no for an answer - it'll do you a world of good."

He didn't notice his friend suffering a nervous tic in her cheek. She answered him with an ambivalent murmur as they shook hands awkwardly with their lefts and parted ways.

Samus could feel the dull ache within her arm as the stunted nerve endings flared with an unfamiliar inducement of residue warp sparks. Next time... Oh, next time, _next time _would be different, she swore to herself rabidly, taking note of everything that had gone wrong in her encounter and how she could fix it. The very first day after leaving hospital, Aran had personally installed cyber-warfare and anti-tracking black boxes in the Normandy CIC; familiarizing Tali with some of the Chozo tech that made her one of the most powerful individuals in the entire Galaxy.

* * *

><p><em>"It's biological in nature, remember that Ms. Zorah," Samus muffled with a wrench gripped between her gnashers as she worked on the underside of the console while the Quarian pilgrim passed her a sonic screwdriver. "You might as well try to interface with someone's brain with your bare hands alone. But there's a trick to it, you see...<em>

_"The nucleus is programmable in the same way a child requires input to learn about his or her surroundings?"_

_" - Looks like I'm going to have to make you my full-time apprentice. Take my techniques back to the fleet, as a sign of good faith. I'll need the Admiralty on my side when this war begins."_

_"You really think there's going to be a Galactic contention?" Tali asked disbelievingly, "I can't really comprehend the scale, the magnitude of such a happenstance."_

_Aran slid out from underneath the CIC data bank and sat up, wiping off the grease on her palms with an oily rag._

_"I'm certain of it, Tal. I can - _feel _the vibrations of the forthcoming event, a sort of, background noise, 'echoing' outwards. It was like this towards the beginning of the Neo-Crusader Conflicts, throughout the Dark Wars, the precursor to the Horus Rebellions across half a settled Galaxy in _my own _Universe and even the Dranek Uprising four years ago in this one."_

_"I didn't know you could 'sense' across time and space."_

_"Well, it's not an _exact _science, to say the least. I'm _no seer _but we need to _know _our enemy if we hope to defeat them and I - bastard!" Samus growled, banging her restrained arm against the metal table as she stood, pain inciting remembrance..._

* * *

><p><em>Arterius leaned against the railings nonchalantly as Samus tried to pull herself up for the third time. The Turian waited politely for her to push up fully and expose his chosen target; before he kick-stomped her in the diaphragm, causing her to buckle and crash back down, holding on with just her fingertips.<em>

_"Come along... I'm waiting..." He sang-song cruelly as Samus gagged and spluttered from the blow. Arterius sneered at her helplessness and retrieved his fallen maxe sword from where it had fallen from the upper level, ready for a second bout. Aran in the meantime had pulled one leg up and managed to wrap her stomach around a vertical bar and lie coughing on the gantry surface._

_Arterius scraped his blade against the floor as he advanced._

_"You're - tougher than your flunkies; I'll give you that." The N7 Guardian choked out as she stood._

_"Well, congratulations _are _in order. Those assassins on the Citadel, they were my _best _men."_

_"Perhaps you should have chosen them more carefully; or trained them better."_

_"Or, perhaps they were ready for _any _foe, except _you_. Enough compliments - Get up, it's time to die!"_

_Samus fought with everything left in the tank; with every last drop of her considerable experience and acumen - but the oddly soothing fizz in her skull - the shortness of breath - her lactic laden muscles were no match for the rogue agent's ferocity. Her palms were cut to ribbons trying to parry the blade, the ring and pinky finger on her left hand severed clean off, the wounds hardly bled. She was cut across the belly, the back, the upper thigh but it was a testament to her skill and ingenuity that no matter what he did; he couldn't land that mortal strike._

_Rolling clear, Aran managed to jump on his back and desperately try to claw life energy from inside the under-sized jar that was left of his living body. But Saren was more machine than man, cybernetics slithering throughout his organism and running off his master's eldritch energies. Rendering her Metroid siphon drain null and void._

_He dropped his sword and seized her by the cuff of her torn shirt and the hem of her trousers above her bare feet. Hoisting her over his head to the full extension of his mismatched arms and bringing the Spectre down into a knee-bridge back-breaker._

_Samus, too weak and groggy for anything elaborate, grabbed him in a headlock through the descent. Her own momentum flipping him over so that he crash-landed on his back and from the sounds of it, broke something important, a shame that the synthetic fibers and other tubing wired throughout his spine immediately compensated for any disability._

_Both combatants let their injuries wash over them, Arterius managed to rise first. He limped and hobbled up a gangplank and cut the stairway down with his retrieved maxe; pleased with the surety of the outcome. Wondering which method he should use to dispatch his foe, a biotic push would be sadly anticlimactic at this point he laughed to himself as he turned back to look at her prone form..._

_Except that she _wasn't _there. Arterius chuckled at her resilience._

_"Come on out, Shepard! I'll show you how Nihlus died!" He crowed to the empty pit chamber. Where was she?_

_Arterius was thrown forward as a falling drop kick slammed into his lumbar and propelled him to he edge of the third platform, his teddy bear rolls just managed to stop him toppling over the precipice._

_"You're not worthy to speak his name!" Thundered Aran like the lightning of heaven. Arterius threw his sword aside and charged her, bearing her off her feet to crash down in a mess of limbs._

_"I - _made_ - him!" He screamed madly, getting her in a naked choke and proceeding to tear one of Aran's ears to tatters with his teeth. Samus didn't attempt to scramble away, while the Warlord mauled and chomped into her cheek, trying to bite out her throat or tongue. She calmly freed her right hand, reached back and over her head; dug her fingers into the exposed gristle of Saren's broken jaw - and pulled sharply._

**"Arrrgggghhhh!" **_Saren rolled off her, clutching the ripped tendons and trying to stem the outpouring of grey oily blood that sprang from his maimed cybernetics._

_Regaining her feet, Samus grabbed his head spine to brace the blows and straight-punched him right on the nose with all of her might; five full times. Arterius staggered back, covering his now mashed features as if in shame; then - he began to _laugh_._

_"Is that _all you've got_!? Getting tired, _**old woman?!**_" He jeered, voice rattling sickly while deepening several octaves, nigh incoherent. He lowered his clawed, dripping hands, revealing the mutilated mask he now wore, flat nostrils crushed in and streaming, but each of the received punches had actually _lessened _in power during the assault, Arterius had merely been letting her vent._

_"Be silent. Fool." Aran retorted, chest heaving. But Arterius merely raised his palms high and began to applaud her unceremoniously; _inviting _another attack. He _knew _she didn't have the strength to win their next bout._

* * *

><p>Presently, Samus Aran was traveling, under her own speed, right back to the no-expense spared private medical clinic in Geneva, Switzerland.<p>

She parked her gunship at the bottom of the lake and used the de-materializer to teleport to a side street, opposite the entrance of the hospital. At the gift shop, she bought Kaidan his favourite Peruvian whiskey, an electric shaver for Joker and a bunch of flowers for Liara.

After visiting each of her colleagues, she slowly entered her soul mate's room; rather more timidly than a woman of her bearing might have been expected to do.

Liara was sleeping peacefully, a ray of sunshine alighting on her angelic features. Aran felt a lump in her throat as she brushed away two twin tears before they could be shed from her lower eyelashes.

She neared her bedside and placed the bouquet of orchids in a glass pot of water; arranging them as lamely as her non-botanist oriented mind was capable, before sitting down next to Liara's feverish and mildly stirring body.

For a moment, Aran was at a complete loss, unable to form a coherent thought as she beheld the wondrous beauty of the one she loved. In both mind and body. She didn't notice the purplish bags under her cerulean eyelids or the film of perspiration due to the fever she was suffering. Antibiotics could only go so far when suffering from four septicemic wounds of complete piercing depth.

Even with tissue weaves and medi gel, her life was not secure and Samus lacked the strength to push living potential energy into her cells and purge every ailment from her; for such a technique required the use of both hands. And even if they were both available to use, her biology was focusing all it's capacities on removing every trace of the indoctrination after-effects to even contemplate using her passive abilities.

Gently, Samus laid the lightest of kisses on Liara's lips, eliciting a tiny 'mm' from T'Soni that sounded so pitiable to Aran's ears that she nearly broke down all over again.

The indomitable warrior knelt as if in prayer at a Holy Place and took Liara's small hands in her own, raising them up to kiss softly, Liara murmured some more and cracked her eyes open slightly, on some level fully aware of who was at her side. Even through the haze of anesthesia.

Aran let out a slow gasp of long pent up anguish and distress. This situation was horribly, intimately familiar to the ancient alien. Clutching the hands of a partner as they expired and left her, all - alone.

"Don't go," she begged Liara's Spirit. "Please... Don't go."

Liara responded with gentle pressure but was otherwise incapable of responding, her temperature was too high.

"We've so much yet to see... _Please_, don't leave me. _You_, are the milk of sentient kindness. The _light _in my dark, dark world. Without you - life is a desert. A howling wilderness... I couldn't have got this far without you - and I _can't _go further..."

Samus turned to look at her love's serene expression and was shocked to see a tear seep from between her lids and trace it's way down her cheek like a silvery train. T'Soni could hear her.

"Father..."*** **Samus beseeched the great beyond, staring upwards at a point only she could see, "_just _this once, spare me from the tenants of the Prophecy of Light. Don't take her from me... We _need_ her knowledge to stop what's to come - and _I _need her... For _me_..."

In desperation, Aran reached out with her gift. Trying to access the store of countless souls she'd drained of their very essence. To achieve the polar opposite of healing and mending, to _rekindle _the spark of one at the very verge of death. Not to destroy, reave and deprive. But it was lost to her, at least for now, when she needed it the most. Scrunching her face up in misery, Aran resigned herself to the inevitable. After all, it wouldn't be any different. It couldn't be. It never had been. Her love would die - this night...

**(*Grey Voice)**

* * *

><p>"Never give up, never..." <em>Samus urged her broken and trembling body onwards. A simple punch didn't even have the intensity to control the Turian renegade's central line as he allowed it to pass him harmlessly, a reverse spin kick was evaded at such speed that Saren had time to slice into her vastus lateralis with his foot long claws.<em>

_The eezo-refined metal of his lengthened fingers channeled biotic energy into her flesh and newly stimulated the deadened nerve endings, for the first time in centuries causing a scream to burst from Aran's lips in utter misery and mounting helplessness._

_Spine arched and clutching at her injury, she was left completely open for Arterius to deliver a right backhand, left swing, right hay-maker combination that caused sweat droplets to explode off her frame from the triple impact and laid her out on her back, sliding along the now slick floor._

_"Pitiful, I expected _more_. You're weak!" He mocked._

_Samus pulled herself upright, knees quaking and beginning to tremble under her, she tottered, arms outstretched for some semblance of balance. Breast heaving. Head Swimming._

_"We're _all - weak _when we're running on - a quart of our own blood; _coward_."_

_Saren growled at the truth in her words. The sting of humiliation cutting deeper than the lacerations caused by the huntress. He was going to break her if it was the last thing he did!_

_Samus noticed the molten tungsten channels running through Sovereign's innards, huge flexible piping that fed each ship arm's molten projectile cannon. Smaller delivery-pipes of eezo channeled the fuel that powered these weapons..._

_"I won't be making the first move, Saren. Give it your best shot, I'm _weak_, remember?" Her own voice took on an impressive timbre, lowering to a deep bass that would have made a braver man than Saren Arterius wet himself. (Fortunately, his cybernetics precluded this.) "Come on! You gruesome son of a bitch, _come at me!_" She roared._

_Snarling, Arterius bull-rushed her, managing to land a dozen blows to each side of Aran's shoulder joint, as she blocked and parried; trying to break the joint. The sadist finally managed to catch her in a shoulder lock and pull the socket past it's maximum motion with a harsh tug. _

_Samus grunted, then bent the limb through it's double and triple jointed bundle of stretching sinew thanks to her Chozo mutations. The arm sprang from his grip, wound back and thumped Saren in the face, surprising him, though the stunt did actually dislocate her shoulder, but then, she could do that at parties._

_Once more gaining the upper hand, Aran went in low and caught Arterius in a rolling knee lock, sat on his stomach, twisted round while extending his shin bone. Then she grasped her taut wrist and threw her back out; while at the same time pulling on Saren's ankle joint with both of her legs braced below his kneecap._

_Two things happened at once._

_Aran's shoulder ball popped back into place with an audible cue._

_Arterius's fibula and tibia bones snapped raggedly in two to protrude and shrapnel in their smaller pieces _through _the flesh of his lower leg._

_It was as if a demon of Hades was screaming the end of the world in it's cacophony as Saren lay on his back, bone fragments jutting from his mangled leg. Screeching as if he'd just endured his own castration._

_Samus sat astride his abdomen, knees pinning his splayed arms; she took his now babbling head between her hands and shrilled full in his face as she brought their heads together with the almighty clang of micro-fractured bionic bone on tempered exoskeletal metal - Then she repeated the ground pound attack. Thrice._

_The final impact was accompanied by her largest scream, rising in decibel to a near sonic blast while it punctuated throughout the area with an accompanying, final wet, crunch._

_Steam misting off of Aran's shoulders; she limply fell off of the rogue Spectre's now still corpse and lay prostrate. but not before glimpsing the fissure-covered forehead, leaking blue blood and the odd piece of non-Newtonian infused cranium chip, bubbling up from the cracks she had inflicted. Her own scalp was cut badly and she definitely had severe concussion._

_Groaning, Aran began to drag herself up. She regained her feet and started to stagger forward._

_She'd taken no less than five steps, when behind her, Saren Arterius rose on invisible puppet strings. Gurgling, twitching, he was reanimating and regenerating from the incredible injuries he'd sustained; by the power of his fell masters in Dark Space._

_Aran turned to face him as he hovered above the ground, suspended by his biotics. Yet there was no more bite or spring in her step. No reflexes, no speed or strength left for her to access anymore. She raised her right arm feebly to protect herself and Arterius laughed in triumph as his pinpoint warp bolt struck and sank into her forearm; then detonated. Nearly slicing her forearm clean off at the elbow._

_Samus collapsed in pain and shock, frantically trying to bind her crippled and disfigured limb with strips of her tattered shirt. The last of her life blood draining away. It was hopeless, her tourniquet complete; she sagged to the ground, breathing a mile a minute, heart straining to circulate what little oxygen it could to her laboured cells._

_Blinking, she saw the flexible eezo delivery piping within arms reach. Saren was inching closer, wounds sealing and bones snapping back into place, tubing snaking down his right leg to support the appendage, neon blue cybernetics booting up at new injury sites. Metal - _growing _and healing over, _fusing_ into the circuitry. It was no use, Saren Arterius, the Prophet of Nazara - was invincible._

_Letting out a last, defiant cry. Samus grasped the glowing tube with her left hand and strained with all that was left of her not in-considerable might to pull the fixing loose. With a millisecond to spare, Aran's power prevailed. The bolts burst and the hose was yanked free of its mooring, releasing a torrent of dust form red element zero; which she directed right into Saren's face. Alpha wave radiation washed over him in a snowstorm of crimson, glowing radioactive metal pushed him back. The exposed flesh on his right side took the brunt of the gushing flow. His skin, ribs and packed synthetic tissue melted as he tried to curse her, instead swallowing a mouthful of burning eezo ash which he frantically tried to cough up._

_But the pressure was running down, within seconds the stream would cease and Samus would be doomed. As Saren was inched back to the edge of the four hundred metre pit; one Alliance standard-issue crutch slipped out and tripped him on the heel. _

_With an inhuman cry, Saren Arterius fell - with nothing to support him; straight down the weapon reactor shaft. He was gone._

_Jeff inched forward on his belly, still holding his crutch and looking at it now in pure disbelief._

_"I - beat - Saren - _Mother fucking _- Arterius!" He cheered, pointing to his Commander with his slightly smoking walking stick then to the spot where the rogue Spectre had toppled over the edge._

_"You kiss your _own, _mother with that mouth... Joker..." Samus rolled her eyes in mortification and relief, then blacked out._

* * *

><p>Wrex, Ash, Garrus and Tali met their Commander outside Liara's room. They all exchanged<p>

condolences; while her fellow Human and the two dextro's looked sorrowful - the former Krogan chief was as mad as hell and ready to dole out some righteous retribution in Aran's name.

"I'm _not _going to let her die." Samus stated to them all dangerously. The four were silent on the matter.

Thanks to an internal affairs investigation by the Matriarch Oligarchy of Thessia, she couldn't take her lover from the hospital to the Corvette's operating theater - without drawing the eyes of their agents.

The daughter of Benezia was essential to their investigation and Aran didn't dare reveal her origins to anyone but the Council, especially under these circumstances.

Sparatus had wanted to place her on suspended leave! And even Udina of all people had been _supporting _him in the matter. Fortunately, the majority of the Councillors, not to mention a fair deal of agents themselves had vetoed the action; still citing her as the most capable operative to take down Saren and his Geth armada.

Samus disappeared back into the cloud cover of Earth, cut off from the Galaxy within the pilot's chair of the Nova Corvette as she zipped silently and invisibly around the planet for several revolutions.

Then she cruised the Pacific thunderheads; contemplating a dark action. For there was only one way to regain the power to give life and, quite fittingly, it would require several lives. And she was spoiled for choice to pick out three or four hundred cockroaches in a nest of nearly twelve billion animals.

Her celestial star ship hung over the upper stratosphere, collecting tens of millions of pettaflops regarding crime hotspots all over the world by hacking every remotely accessible surveillance device on the surface and in the sky. Drones, satellites, CCTV camera bots, everything. It was time to go to work.

A few weeks of this and she could eliminate every desperate felon in sight but that was not the way. They had to make their own choices, their own mistakes. But she could help those who were in dire straits at this very moment though.

The Hunter mentally linked to the data cache and allowed the beacon receivers to imprint all of the urban sound channels to her own auditory cortex. Meditation and her own specially adapted columellas stopped the tide of information from becoming a tsunami of Intel that could stretch even her organic processor to the breaking point. Filtering the information, Aran got down to business; selected a plan of action for the evening and keyed in the biometric pass code to unlock her armoury; revealing the welcoming outlines of several old metallic friends. Nearly three metres in height and several fitted around the technology of an entire race. Masterpieces that she had crafted and outfitted herself; _raw power_.

She needed the suit, not just for what it allowed her to be capable of - but for what it represented to her. _Incorruptibility_.

In Armenia: She smashed a white slave trade ring, assassinated it's financial backers in the United States. Then siphoned off the funds they made to return to their victims. Within the Congo, she obliterated five war hoards; transporting the surviving child soldiers to rehabilitation centres after the massacre. Her arm was long fully healed from the biotic reave energy taken from multiple individuals. The night was still young.

Obstacles that were impossible impediments for them, were but mere stepping stones to her. Fifty five muggings in six continents averted. A gang of yobs scared witless in the lower East-side of London, several hospitalised. She let them take pictures, let them see what was coming out of time to deliver them from aimless cruelty.

Two hundred and fourteen rapes turned into _attempted _rapes in the span of sixty minutes. Fifth appendages de-membered, as an appropriate - _lesson_. Rather disappointingly, only Khar'shan had crime figures as high as Earth, the Council races suffered white collar con men at worst. Even organized syndicates, were, _civilized _in comparison to the filth that ruled Earth's back alleys. As Garrus had warned her. _The Terminus _was the _true_ hive of scum and villainy. That had to be nullified before the Reapers arrived. The visions spurred her onwards. To stop even greater perversity.

Australia, Europe, China, America, Canada, Mexico. Six of the Alliance's greatest founders. And within them, abuse on-top of abuses. _Child cruelty_, often unsolved cases where the infants had been killed or imprisoned away from the public eye. Samus didn't spare a single family, whether active or passive onlooker; they died. _Painfully_.

Their homes burned to the ground or raised - and the children... The innocents... They were delivered to more reputable, private foster care homes. Aran paid for them all until they were eighteen_. Every one _of the five hundred and thirty six cases.

It was not enough. Not for her.

Dawn.

People would say she was insane - a radical with no right to judge others. But in her mind, she had every right. _Every _justification. Her _power_, her very _existence _was solely attributed to the goal of wiping out evil whenever it strayed too far. For when her dreams of peace and co-existence were dashed before her eyes, blood of the deserved helped cleanse that same disillusion that followed; from her worn soul.

Not caring for the Serrice Guard Operatives who would be breathing down her neck. Samus laid her hands on Liara's temples and transmitted the siphoned electro-kinetic energy that infused all matter of life, ever so slowly through her physical form. Letting the hurts melt away as if they had never existed in the first place.

She took the Asari scientist in her arms and carried her from the clinic; no-one dared to try and stop her.

Samus left a message on the Normandy's comm set for Pressly to relay to the others and took off for parts unknown, eventually settling in the canopy of the Gorabar rainforest on the planet of Malastere.

Funny how things changed places in alternate realities, new, yet familiar. Within the span of two days in the Serelyn tank, Liara was as right as rain. Save for the psychological scars.

To Aran's immense pride, it seemed the training she'd doted on Liara had really paid off. She'd only had to comfort her from night terrors _once_. After that, she'd noted a brisk coolness that descended on her life partner's demeanour whenever they discussed tracking Saren, or the clandestine war economy that they now monopolized. She would be forever changed by her experiences these past few months...

Through the Corvette's beacons, Aran communicated with Hackett for a short duration:

"Earth's up in arms, Sam. '_Strange invaders _cuts swathe through Humanity's sins!' The Council wanted to send Prothean experts onto nation-state soil!"

"I'm sorry about the mess, Steven. But I couldn't just _sit _in that waiting room like a lemon."

"You _could _have just gone out for a smoke to settle your nerves; instead you've announced a third party quite spectacularly to the Galaxy. What were you thinking?!"

"_No-one _knows, no-one _can _know because they couldn't wrap their minds around it, even if it was staring them in the face."

"_Don't _underestimate the theorists out there, _Commander_... Harper will notice this. And you can bet Saren and the Reapers will too!"

"_Let them_, how could it make matters worse?"

"You told me that you'd never use that technology until the time was right! Now you ignore your own advice?"

"I didn't call just so that I could be scolded by you! Admiral!"

"Well you deserve it. Millennial-old or no, I at least _look _older! You young Whippersnapper!"

They both glared at each other until they broke into uneasy grins and began to chortle together.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Sam. Things are heating up. We haven't finished this conversation, expect a taking to when Anderson hears."

"Huh, _I _take full responsibility, Steven, you _know _I do."

"Good, because no-one else will."

* * *

><p>Liara and Samus were quite literally, sitting in a tree, though not quite up to the second part of that particular childhood taunt.<p>

"I'm amazed you stayed so strong," Liara said, her head nestled in Aran's collar. "I couldn't have resisted, I'd have told him everything rather than put you through that pain."

"What does that make _me_?" Samus wondered out loud. "I got the worst of both outcomes, your anguish was unnecessary, and Fredricks, Singh, Craig; all died because of my stubbornness..."

Aran was surprised when Liara shrugged off her cuddle and slapped her in the face. Samus was left looking at her knees. Bewildered.

"Don't _ever _say that!" T'Soni cried, "we _all _knew the risks, that isn't yours to carry! Or to hold! They were _soldiers_!"

"Yes they were..." Aran whispered. "The finest..."

"They rest in Heaven, Vaikuntha, Nirvana. For _you_. You may think the crew began to mistrust you after you told them who you really were. But they _didn't_. They _revered _you. Believed in you as the last hope that could turn back the tide; to banish the dark spaces in the Universe..."

"Please, stop. It's not that I don't appreciate all that you've said, but I _need _you to see me as _less _than that. Even if no-one else can."

"Wrex certainly doesn't!"

Samus brightened. "Heh! He's up to something... Did I - _offend_ him on Noveria?"

"That would be telling..." She teased. Aran swatted her playfully and hugged her from behind.

"Still think it's strange, the two of us?" Samus asked as they swayed as one.

"No - we have a lot in common, you and I, chemical _compatibility_," Liara gasped the last word as Samus nuzzled her neck with her golden mane.

"_Always_ the scientist, I don't like to think of it as, _merely_, pheromones. We should let ourselves be - _entranced by _the... _Spirituality _of such a union. Swept up in the storm - as it were..." They were arching into each other more urgently now, fondling their lover's face with their own.

"You do _always _make it sound, so chaotic, so - dangerous..."

"_A little _danger makes everything more _exciting_. Though - right now - I'd settle for love - not war!" They kissed fully, a nebula of biotic brilliance fluctuated around them in the evening breeze.

Liara sighed as they broke apart. "We need to restrain ourselves, until Saren is defeated. I can't bear to lose you but we need to stand resolute, for the sake of the mission."

"No bonding - yes doctor. Without you this op would have been dead in the water before it had even begun. But thanks to the powers locked away in that - _incredible _body of yours! We have a fighting chance." She cuddled closer and T'Soni bit her lip in desire, finding the will to stand and walk back to the Corvette, demurely. She looked back over her shoulder.

"There _will _be time for that later, my love!"

"Hah! And you think _I'm _the strong one!"

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later... Citadel Station... Council Chambers...<em>

"Commander," Sparatus announced gruffly. "I hope you and your crew are fully recovered; Saren's methods were feared among the longest serving agents of your organization. If you need more time..."

"I'm fine, Sere Councillor. I only wish to put this misstep behind me and continue along the roads necessary to end Arterius's insurrection once and for all."

"Most admirable, agent Shepard," Valern concurred. "We may have some - _information _for you that will bring your hunt to a close; we received word from one of our STG Unit's running reconnaissance in the Traverse."

"Captain Kirrahe's outfit?" Aran answered quickly. The Councillors exchanged uneasy looks, Tevos spoke up for her two male counter-parts.

"You _knew _of his mission?"

"... I ratified the entire operation - and gave them the clusters of interest to pursue. Why?" Again the Councillors looked concerned and whispered among themselves, Aran was not liking where this was going, it seemed she was losing her edge after the wounds Saren had inflicted on her.

"You were... co-operating with, Jondum Bau in this matter, correct?" Valern posited politely.

"Yes, I thought it prudent to share the Intel with some old colleagues in the STG."

"And what about _multiple _Spectre agents, Shepard." Said Sparatus with a hint of menace.

"I was under the impression that free-flow of communication only stream-lined the investigation. Is there a leak?"

"That is not the answer we were looking for, Commander."

"Saren _still _has operatives within the tower?!" Samus nearly exploded.

"Watch your tone - "

"Macro-managing incompetents, the lot of you! Is there any wonder the Citadel isn't safe?"

"That is enough, Commander! Saren's channels of communication are thankfully, one-sided, they can only feed secrets to him from _their _side!" Sparatus fired back.

"When it _should _be none at all!"

"Enough! Both of you! Agent Shepard, the reason for our reticence stems from the fact that, though these are unconfirmed rumours - over a dozen operatives of Special Tactics and Recon now answer, in part, directly to you."

"What is this?" Queried Aran glancing confusedly at each Councillor in turn, "you think I'm preparing for a coup? Manipulating your agents to serve _my _agenda?"

"That is _exactly _what Matriarch Tevos and I think of the matter!" Stated the Turian Councillor in a sharp tone, pointing down at Aran accusingly. "This department has never before been inundated with more deep cover assignments and experimental mission practices, including four or even five operatives working together under _your _orders. For they were _not _ours. Then we have your incessant attempts of trying to justify these _delusions _you espouse of a greater threat, an alien race of these so called - _Reapers_. Your - _war mongery _with the Terminus and the Geth; not to mention your constant ability to impede but not stop the _second _greatest embarrassment to the Spectres!"

"... When you've taken your medication, Councillor - I'll deign to respond. Your - _paranoia _doesn't change the facts, I've _strengthened _this branch of the Citadel Ministry of Defence into something you barely recognise. Change is scary and unpredictable; that's _why _we adapt. We flush out the moles, we rise above what we were. And once the smoke is settled we find ourselves with something _better_; it's always been this way and _I'm _the one initiating it."

"Your argument invites treason." Warned Valern carefully.

"The rules are _yours _- not mine."

"Do you _wish _to be branded a traitor?" Sparatus growled incredulously.

"I don't _wish_, for anything. I _act_. My implementations may be unorthodox to all of you, but my motives are the purest you'll ever find in this life. And I _assure _each and every one of you, Seres and Madame, in full awareness of the seeming _hypocrisy _of my following statement; I am the most altruistic being to have ever existed and I serve the people beyond my own desires."

There was a foreboding silence, the Councillors broke off and spoke among themselves for a good ten minutes before returning to their podiums.

"_Our_ people?" Tevos asked Samus mildly.

Aran bowed. "But of course..."

"And the Spectres you've gathered around your banner - " Sparatus interjected.

"Have _never _acted against Citadel regulations in regard to either yourselves or the affairs of the other Supra Nations. At least, not any more than the usual high-level espionage that our work usually entails!"

This gathered mirthful sounds from all assembled, Samus could even hear some of the hidden snipers trained on her chortling in turn.

"Very well, agent Shepard. We apologise for our attack on your character and for questioning your loyalty to this prestigious government.

"Thank you, Councillors. It is my unfailing honour, to serve the Legion..."

_"When serving is convenient for my ends... Don't ever act against a consensus, Councillors, you'll be horrified at the results."_

"What _can _you tell me of Kirrahe's team, Councillors?" She asked humbly.

"We lost contact before they could establish an official situation report," Valern began. "... _But _they did confirm that they have located a facility in the Hoc System that is strategically important to Saren; you may wish to investigate it at the earliest possible convenience."

Samus felt the need to take another jab at convincing them on a related matter.

"Of course. And the data I recovered on Sovereign? It pulled the Normandy into birth with unknown technology. Geth _dreadnoughts _can't tractor a full-sized frigate."

Sparatus was losing his temper, again. "As - _alarming _a threat as this vessel poses. We have nothing substantive to prove beyond a measure of a doubt that Arterius pilots a long lost ancient Leviathan!"

"I have the good backing of several reputable paranormal researchers, Amanda Kenson and Garret Bryson to name a few."

"Hyperbole, Commander! Any Citadel scientist worth their salt wouldn't be seen dead around hacks like those Human sensationalists!"

"Sticking your heads in the sand isn't going to make this threat go away, Councillors!"

It was Tevos that shot Aran down to everyone's surprise. Remembering a certain ambassador who'd said the same nearly twenty years ago.

"There is _no _threat apart from the immediate problem of Saren and the Geth! Good day, Commander. We've _tolerated_ this line of conversation long enough."

* * *

><p><em>"Shepard! Come on, wake up Commander! Wake up!"<em>

_Jeff had managed to drag his boss a grand total of an entire metre before his legs twinged so badly he thought his femurs would crack. He took off his Dad's lucky cap and wiped the sweat from his brow. He wasn't cut out for this shit!_

_Unbelievably, Aran found the strength to rise once again - much to Joker's relief. He held out a smuggled tube of medi gel which Samus snatched from his palm and plunged the syringe into her neck, boosting her lymphocyte count dramatically and fueling her onward._

_"Commander - maybe I should support you?" Requested Jeff timidly as he was slung over her shoulders like a rolled carpet, Aran set off at an increasing run. Hoping to retrieve her soldier's desecrated bodies._

_Samus didn't listen as they weaved their way to the Normandy. The screams and jeers of a million techno-beasts roaring through her mind; but she did murmur tiredly._

_"Bless you, Joker, bless you..." She ran further, her bare foot slapping into the puddle of strange, dark orange fluid that leaked from the buckled hull; the skin of her sole flashed a neon turquoise as her organism tried to absorb it. Samus was too exhausted to notice._

_At about the same time, Arterius had been pulled into a vacuum air duct and fully recovered from his titanic duel with Aran. He reached his private chambers and began to modify his personal, tri-barreled Geth pulse rifle, slotting in three air-foil canisters filled with Nitro-glycerine coiled HE Plastique. Inamorda burst in._

_"Warlord! Some of the Geth units are turning against us -"_

_"How?" Growled Saren ominously Cricking his neck from side to side, then configuring his iron sights._

_"Something Shepard put in the system. Weapons and tractor control are off-line; we're cut off from the barracks - it's just the two of us against all those tin men!"_

_"Wrong." Arterius stated coldly, one burst from his inferno-round modded rifle burning cyan flame through his lieutenant's face; blowing his brains out._

_"_Now _- it's _just_ me." He rasped, kicking the Krogan's corpse aside as he left to take out his frustrations on targets he could actually reach._

* * *

><p>"Fools." Samus told Liara as she met her on the long stairs, tipping her grey fedora hat onto her crown harder than there was any need for.<p>

"What happened?"

"Short-sighted fools. They have _no idea _what they're dealing with."

"Let's take it into our own hands, then."

Aran let loose with one of her feral grins: "T'Soni, You read my mind."

"Shepard!" Anderson called out to both of them as he caught up with them on the second landing.

"Anderson, what can I do for you?"

"A word, before you go gallivanting off again."

"I'll meet you in the embassy in about... two hours then."

"sixteen hundred, got it."

At Flux, the team gathered round a large table, ordered their drinks and began to discuss their next move.

Kaidan was the first to input. "We're not heading to this - _Virmire _straight away then, Commander?"

"In good time we will, I have to show all of you something first. And not just what I've been doing with my Trybondian military."

"Something to do with your past?" Garrus said.

"My past - and everyone else's future."

"You found a Prothean site?" Tali asked excitedly.

"Even better... A Chozo enclave."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUH!**


	33. Because I Can't Make it on My Own

**A/N: I lurve the credit music at the end of the first Mass Effect, as you can probably tell; (Chapter title-wise.) M4 Part II by Faunts was just the crowned jewel on top of the first game's almighty brow! Although I'm not dissing 'Suicide Mission' and the work of Jack Wall by any means. Now, this is the penultimate highway stop before the climax. Roll on the Battle for the Citadel! In this chappy, love is in the air for the Normandy crew both platonic and erotic! Aran's allies unite for the future Galaxy their leader envisions but first she must understand the mistakes of her foster ancestors - lost to _the Darkness_ beyond the Outer Rim... By the way, when I envisioned Adam's voice I always imagined him with a British accent. like Steven Merchant's Wheatly from Portal 2, or Shaun Hastings from the Assassins Creed saga - even David Anders' character from Heroes; who is also, funnily enough, called Adam.**

_"Sometimes, when one is moving silently through such an utterly desolate landscape, an overwhelming hallucination can make one feel that oneself, as an individual human being, is slowly being unraveled. The surrounding space is so vast that it becomes increasingly difficult to keep a balanced grip on one's own being. The mind swells out to fill the entire landscape, becoming so diffuse in the process that one loses the ability to keep it fastened to the physical self. The sun would rise from the eastern horizon, and cut it's way across the empty sky, and sink below the western horizon. This was the only perceptible change in our surroundings. And in the movement of the sun, I felt something I hardly know how to name: some huge, cosmic love."_

_(Haruki Murakami)_

**Because I Can't Make it on My Own**

"Michel!" Garrus welcomed to the party's table warmly.

"Officer Vakarian." The medical practitioner returned with equal gladness. They embraced and as they broke apart she gave him a faux look of disapproval: "and how many times must I ask you to call me Chloe?"

"At least once more, it would seem," Garrus traced his right fringe spine, suddenly awkward. Her smouldering French accent always got him hot under the collar!

"But anyway, I _think_ you know Ms. Zorah, here." He gestured to the closest occupied seat.

"Dr," Tali replied cooly, sipping her isolated glass through an emergency induction port. (straws to the technological layman.) Vakarian winced inwardly as the temperature between the two women dropped considerably.

"Still collecting blood money?" Tali spat bluntly, causing Michel to blanch in shame.

"Tali, I can call you Tali, can't I?" The Franco-Canadian asked.

The Quarian machinist didn't go for her poniard, so Michel carried on bravely. "I am _so_ sorry about the - paid - "

"Extortionate." Tali stated.

"... Extortionate, treatment I - fausted on you. I was scared for my own well-being and - ah - I don't have any other excuse. I was out my depth, can you ever forgive me?"

Garrus half-turned away, not wishing for the scene to get any uglier; he had really put his foot in it now...!

"... Apology accepted." Tali eventually replied, humbly. Garrus opened his clinched eyes in wonder. "You can give Karin a discount for any medical supply top-ups she needs as a sign of good faith."

"Absolutely!" Michel affirmed, bright and gay once more. She sat in Garrus's seat and laid a hand on Tali's exo-suit covered, down-turned palm. "I want us to be good friends - no more enmity between us!" She laughed, Tali giggled as well, a sound that didn't suit her - Vakarian's expertly attuned male-misgivings began to grow...

"Did any of you hear about that terrible news from Earth?" Michel looked around at the others present. "Those metal-man aliens that _murdered_ about - _a thousand people_ in one night?" She didn't notice Joker exchange glances with Liara and Kaidan, while Garrus, Jamie and Ashley looked at their feet. Luckily, her question was directed towards Tali.

"I heard they 'murdered' a majority of war criminals, terrorists and serial-killers." Tali replied lightly, "hardly anyone we should _shed tears_ over."

"But its - _barbarous_, these Prothean - _supermen_, or whoever they are, they can't just take the law into their own hands!"

"I don't know..." a wistful Garrus pondered, "vigilantism can be a required action to shock people out of apathy - it's quite clear that they were sending a message; a message that greater changes may be on the horizon..."

"Sh - _They've_ - got my vote 'hic'," Jeff was just _a little_ tipsy on drink.

"Hear, hear," the surviving three marines chorused.

Liara simply said: "Violence _can_ be used for good."

"I see I'm being firmly outnumbered in opinion here." Michel said, slightly embittered. "Where_ is_ the Commander?"

"You didn't _see_?" Garrus ribbed her. "Oh, that's right, the crowd _does_ make it difficult!" He pointed out across the club and the team made their way to the upper staircase to squeeze through the smaller crowd and get a good look at the dance-floor.

Down below, a hollering crowd was bearing witness to the rarely-displayed Human custom of B-boying, or in this case, Boy-girling.

Samus Aran head flipped and down-rocked her heart out. Executing tremendous power moves that supported her body at alternating forty five to ninety five degree angles while her arms were locked and bended at the elbow. She flowed from an incredibly fast flare, to land in a freeze position that was held for three seconds during a lapse in the music. The patrons bellowed their approval as Aran began to spin round on her back and shoulders as the tempo increased; flipping back over to land on her feet - she wowed them with equally fast foot work that was a combination of house and jig, accompanied with more flowing gymnastics that simultaneously managed to 'Shepherd' Doran (the Volus proprietor) onto the floor with her.

"Hah, ha!" Garrus clapped at this bright ray of sunshine, so welcome after the horrors of Edolus, Noveria and Sovereign. Wrex was trying his hardest to disapprove, though he had been watching before _anyone else_ had arrived; nursing a flagon of ryncol. And probably lamenting his _own_ lack of dancing prowess.

To everyone's delight Doran began his fabled 'Cyber-Viking' steps, jerking his butter-ball body from side-to-side in time to the beat, while Samus adopted a similar cheesy step, that at least had Transhuman grace and flexibility on her side, several onlookers joined her, with Aran leading them through a myriad of frenzied steps that had the men looking on longingly (and out of breath) along with a fair deal of the more impressionable young ladies and Asari Maidens.

Liara huffed, then vaulted over the railing and floated with her biotics down to the dance floor, where she prised a Turian female, a male Salarian and two Asari waitresses off Samus and jumped into a hold that was intimate to the extreme. Aran flashed a rare, true smile and allowed herself to be led by the beautiful creature, twining around in numerous dainty steps that had them weaving between other dancers and often engaging in flamboyant lifts that had everyone applauding at the wonderful skill on show.

"I can't miss this!" Garrus told the others, choosing Michel as his first partner, while Tali and Jamie followed hand in hand. Ash was left with Wrex; both eyed each other nervously.

"Think about it and you're dead," they said in unison.

Joker watched longingly from the sidelines.

Aran was impressed with Liara's top-rocking, being a high-standing politician's daughter must have prepared her for balls and other formal events. But it seemed that archaeology was not her only rebellion of tradition - as she recognised many different styles of dance in T'Soni's repertoire. It was getting even more sultry as her lover began what could only be some sort of 'gulp!' mating dance - she found herself becoming just a tad aroused. What with Liara tracing her hands over every curve that counted.

Tali had been taught well too it seemed; as she was leading Jim on a merry chase, twirling under his arm before the marine had the guts to pull her into a classical down sweeping ball room pose. Garrus was getting his funk on to an absurd degree, his arms moving so much it looked like he was doing the chicken dance. He swapped partners with Andrews to find the Quarian girl was getting incredibly close for comfort.

_"...Oh God!"_ Garrus nearly choked on the unfamiliar blasphemy as he beheld the unusual Turian fantasy fetish of wide-hipped women, a physical fallacy for the females of his own kind. He had to check himself though, Tali was everyone's little sister to the group. Wrex would probably wring him out like a pretzel if he discovered him romancing her. That, and he was an entire _four years_ her senior, more than enough to turn courtship into a near pedophile hunt. Though Tali would have disagreed. It was rather lewd thoughts that plagued his mind in that respect and he vowed not to let such dreams come between him and the team. For it had long become too important to him to jeopardize. One of the most important thing in his life.

As the music slowed and swelled, Tali fastened herself to his chest in a more gentle step; Garrus didn't know that Tal was thinking the same thing. That she had found acceptance and love from her mentor and friends and, dare she hope for it - romance?

Wrex was, unbeknownst to all, still plotting a prank to perform on his Commander; one even _she_ would never see coming...

Samus spun Liara over her shoulders and head in a dazzlingly fast series of mutual acrobatics that had the scientist thrilled to bits. To Aran's surprise, Liara managed an approximate set of maneuvers on the Hunter herself using her newly pin-point controlled biotics; whizzing her about. Aran landed and seeing a concluding crowd-pleaser, did a windmill while balancing Doran on both feet, while he was rotating like a gyroscopic tub of lard. The audience certainly let her leave after that bit of showmanship.

Panting, Liara left the dance floor with an arm looped around Aran's waist; for both of them to get a much needed drink. The by-standing deposed Chieftain hoped his Commander wouldn't soften herself at an inappropriate time, every young Krogan knew that sleeping with women weakened knees! He thought back to when she had helped him retrieve a family heirloom. Said inheritance had been his family's ancestral armour. A 'piece of crap' he had told her, but the worth of his heritage had been outdone by the value inherent in the actions she'd employed to recover it.

With help from her Spectre colleagues, Aran had traced the armour through black-market trafficking of Rebellion antiques to one notable privateer, Tonn Actus. And his private fortress on the icy world of Tuntau. While Wrex had posed as a buyer, Samus had HALO dropped into the mountains, infiltrated the complex and retaken the battered War Lord Mk. X body armour from Actus' safe. Together, they had gone to town on the pirates and smugglers until the stronghold had been raised to the ground; with her at his side - nothing seemed beyond the scope of what they could accomplish.

Still, making the Commander lighten up a bit more than she was already would be a public service, not to mention fun and as he watched Liara and Aran laugh together; he knew just how to prank his employer... Not that she paid him anything, except substantial food, board and worthy challenges.

"Commander! It is so good to see you!" Smiled Michel as they all sat down. "That was _very_ impressive!"

"I'll say!" Garrus agreed. "Where did you _learn_ all of those crazy moves?"

Aran froze like a mime, eyes darting comically from left to right. "Bird people taught me." She whispered conspiratorially.

Michel burst into giggles while the others weren't sure if she was being entirely serious. Aran had only given the bare details of her true past but all knew that it would be the height of rudeness and a supreme lack of tact to ask her to elucidate. When one had a cover story like Mindoir, one tended to wonder what the real story could possibly be...

Tali and Chloe sat on either side of Garrus along with Jeff. While Ash, Liara, Wrex and Samus sat opposite.

"So, Michel," Aran dived into conversation, "Garrus tells me you want to be a hospital director?"

Tali spoke up before Michel could speak.

"I almost _majored_ in medicine _as well as_ engineering in the Flotilla. But I decided to focus on the latter."

"Really?" Chloe gushed, "I minored in basic mechanics!"

"You did?" Garrus asked, surprised at the similarities.

"Engineers, doctors, we both help people in our different ways!" Michel continued.

"Exactly!" laughed Tali. Garrus was becoming more and more worried and his supremely tactical mind formed a single nervous thought.

_"Seeing them getting along so well - it's kind of, scary..."_

_"Two women -"_ Samus considered as she sipped her beverage. _"_Both_ into Garrus - and if he plays his cards right... Nah!"_

As the others busied themselves in small talk. Liara sat next to Aran at the table's corner, chin propped with both hands and staring at her mate intently.

"I need to know something." She said briskly once Samus had caught her inquisitive gaze, she lowered her drink cautiously.

"Ask..." Sam allowed noncommittally.

"How much of that was real?" Liara cast her gaze down as she made her accusation. So she wouldn't have to look at the surprised shock and mingled hurt that flitted across the Hunter's face.

"Liara - " Samus began, bewildered.

"Don't say anything," Liara continued breathlessly.

"Then how can I defend myself?"

"I don't know you... You always push me away when I want to talk about the past. You know so much about me well what about - "

"Do you speak of _all_ your battles? Or are there some you wish to_ forget_?"

"So you admit the majority of your life has been conflict, how then can I trust that you're not just showing me and the crew what they _want_ to see? That the horrors you faced. That you face even now; are just as water is off your back?"

"Now look here - "

"No more excuses!" Liara was on the verge of tears, she cupped Aran's cheek. "I pray, _every day_, that we will survive _all_ of this; and be able to grow old _together_. I need to know, you were scouring the unknown frontiers when I was wink in my parent's eye! Tell me what is_ real!_" She nearly begged, looking at her from under her eyelids as Samus bowed her head, golden locks cascading over her face and hiding her from her lover's gaze.

"... You're _right_, I can't say 'it's been so long.' I have to - Liara..." She met her eye-line.

"Liara... I _thought_ I could show you, if but a little of what I could have been before - before, _everything_. All the combat and all the strife, that's. That's not _the essence_ of who I am. That shouldn't be the heart of _any of us_... I am - I am _more._ When I'm fighting, when I'm threatening, when I'm _killing_ - that's not me... That's who I've adopted to live with myself. In my solitude, in my loneliness. I've always been comfortable in my own company... But you," she gestured to her crew, "them, when I'm around - my _people_, my _friends_ - my _loved ones_ - _The one's who I will cherish forever._ I, I live in the light for you. And I always will."

Liara sat silently, then stretched out her fingers for Aran's own unmoving hand, the warm embrace of hand holding was apparently not enough for the young Asari as she jumped into her Captain's lap and met her lips with hers. Much to the cheers of the table's occupants and the wolf-whistling of Flux's patrons.

* * *

><p>An hour before she was due to meet Anderson. Samus heard the step of a sprightly Salarian, she didn't need to even turn from the bar to know it was Jondum Bau.<p>

He sat next to her on a high bar stool and asked Doran for the same thing she was having.

"Seventy percent proof ryncol?" The Volus queried.

"Give me a - highly diluted version then." The Spectre reasoned, Aran smiled without looking.

When the portly Volus brought him his drink; Bau took a tentative sip and still had to cough despite his accelerated metabolism.

"Easy there, friend. You've got nothing to prove to me." Samus said as she clapped him on the back repeatedly.

"We're all ready, Shepard. Ready to take Virmire with you."

"Won't the Council disapprove?"

"They can't keep track of every one of us. You're just under a majority of Agents now; many of the other Spectres who are on the fence about you want to evaluate the operation before they make a decision."

"Sensible. And the solitary Agents, the ones in deep cover?"

"I'm afraid they want something more... A _test_ of your powers. Before the Council themselves."

"Impossible, that's too soon. I'd be clapped in irons the moment I revealed myself."

"After all you've done for the Citadel? Think about it, Aran. It will be a coup in the hearts and minds of every agent. If the Council accepts you it signifies how much influence you have; if not - we'll be at your side if things go wrong and you must escape. Such an action has never been attempted, let alone pulled off. You'd win either way."

"Only _if_ I can pull it off. Then all of you are in agreement, as terrible as it is, we _must_ allow Saren to attack this station."

"Yes. For our influence to grow and for the Council to open their eyes about this threat; plus it would be unfeasible to take the fight Saren out in the Terminus, better to let him come to us, believing it to be on his own terms... We _all_ have to make this hard decision. For the good of the people we serve. - Don't worry, though. If things go south when you return, we'll make it look realistic. "

"It _will_ be realistic; none of you must hold back if we want this to remain off the books and avoid the firing squads of our more _zealous_ brothers and sisters. We are playing a _very_ dangerous game here, Jon."

"That's why you asked me to develop these scenarios with your AI friend. We _will_ succeed, Sam. No matter the outcome. Our faith is vested in you."

"Ha, I've always admired your race, Jon." Aran faced him sincerely, offering him some lighter beer bottles. "So _little time_ to make a difference and yet you do. More than your grandchildren will and can possibly imagine." She opened the bottle caps with her mind, chill vapour escaping from their glass necks. Bau accepted the drink gladly.

"Half as long," eyes twinkling, Bau toasted her.

"Twice as bright," Aran returned, clinking their bottles together in sacred pact.

* * *

><p>"Commander! I was waiting for you to come back!"<p>

A familiar voice, one belonging to Conrad Verner called across the crowded bar; it seemed he'd brought the entirety of the Shepard fan club along with him.

"Oh, no!" Aran groaned, watching as he made his way towards her and Wrex; they had been discussing a job from one of the Verge's most powerful crime lords, Helena Blake - a woman who was making inroads into the Terminus and someone the Hunter wanted very much on her side.

"Wrex, _hide me_."

"How?"

"You're a famous bounty hunter, distract them!"

The old Krogan looked down in exasperation but when he looked up Samus might as well have melted into the floor. How did she do that? Then he was confronted by about sixty of her crazy fans. Now, how would the Commander play this...?

"You know," Tali remarked, slightly slurred from where she lay in her long chair, feet stretched out. "You are _pretty_ funny." She chuckled pressing her finger into her Turian ship-mate's armoured chest.

Garrus was quick to capitalize in the least tactful manner he knew how but then, that was the powerful drink talking. Freeing his inhibitions: "you're pretty... Pretty."

Tali's mouthpiece lit up, signifying that she had mouthed something in surprise at his phrase.

"What did you just say?" She prodded gently.

The Turian tipped his head back adorably, cheeks stretched. "Just saying that - you're pretty."

Tali leant forward in wonderment.

"Even, even when you're -" he gestured widely. "Covered in engine grease, e - e - _especially_, when you're covered in engine grease you're - _nice_!"

Tali was yearning for more of his stuttered and awkward come-on's when Aran interrupted them, leaning over the back of their heads like a mischievous and oblivious playground mate.

"It's time to get out of this nuthouse; I've got some _planning_ to work out."

"Now, Commander?" Tali almost whined, "things are going _so well_."

"I suppose, Jon and the others are feeling better about themselves, it'll only be a matter of time before -"

" - I said, things are going _well_..." The Quarian looked meaningfully at her and then to the inebriated and lazily grinning Vakarian slumped in his recliner.

Samus stared at her blankly, before the lights came on upstairs.

"... Oh! Well..._ Well_, I'll tell you what. Wrex is stuck over there with his adoring masses. Why don't _you_, _and_ Garrus hang around and - keep an eye on him for me?"

Aran knew Tali was smiling under her mask as she patted Sam's forearm affectionately while Garrus raised his mug in a toast to her idea. Samus nodded to the couple before straightening with a motherly look of merry gall in her eyes as she left them to their devices...

* * *

><p>David Anderson glanced up from his paperwork as Aran entered the space he shared with their benevolent ambassador.<p>

"Shepard! I'm glad you could make it."

"We're leaving tomorrow. What do you need?"

"Just some time to talk, I know you probably have your own ways of dealing with the grief but we were all affected by your men's sacrifices -"

"I'm fine, Captain._ Really_."

"... So you finally met Saren up-close. Not across from a crowd or on a holo... What did you think of him?"

"You weren't too far off the mark."

"That he's a lunatic?"

"He's a terrifying, tergiversatory troglodyte, and as _loathe_ as I am to admit it - on some level; I -_ almost_ - admire him in turn, as he claims to do me. And in his unfailing ability to destroy the people and principles that he loves. We have that in common. Only I can _confront_ it."

" - I was - somewhat _afraid_ of that... You and him are like two sides of the same coin, Commander. The only difference being that you've _always_ tried to find an alternative to the things he jumps at the chance to commit. And you show those bastards the mercy they gave others. You're an Angel and he's the Devil."

"We're _both_ Devils. _All_ great beings have possessed and fought madness in their time... His _hate_ gives him the strength to commit his crimes; my _compassion_ gives me the strength to commit mine."

"Perspective _is_ all you need in war, but don't make it _personal_, Shepard. Like I did. He'll _win_ if you do."

"I won't wallow in _moral misanthropy_, Anderson. I'm _above_ such things, I have been for _a long time_. Longer than you can _possibly_ imagine. Alone, yes, I can stand on a lonely peak and wonder what might have been or what could have been done differently – but what's _the damn point?_ Hm? I mean, we all _share_ the same doubts about our place and profession. I'd be _a fool_ to admit on some level that I don't. You want to know, how I can deal with all of this? I'll tell you... Saren Arterius left his _last_ –_ living_ – _relatives_ deliberately exposed when they betrayed him. To take revenge on Harper, for forcing his hand on Palaven all those years ago. I offered them an olive branch, they knocked it from my hand. That – _rogue beast_, tortured _the woman I love_ – nearly to the brink of death – _and_ murdered three men who were as _sons_ to me... I'm going to take that out of what's left of his original colon; then I'm going to scatter his ashes to the four quadrants of the Universe."

"That's nothing but the revenge you claimed to be above, Samus."

"No! ... No. You _see_, when I put him under. I won't just be making _myself_ feel better. I'll be making _the whole of civilized space_ breathe easy. Revenge is a welcome and unexpected side dish; sating my hunger will be the main course."

* * *

><p>Aran stood astride the Normandy's Command Centre bridge platform and ran a supremely tactile hand across the horizontal bar railings above the Galaxy Map; feeling home once more. She'd met and welcomed the three replacement marines that Andrews and Alenko would command under her as well as the rest of the returning, thirty six strong support crew, consisting of gunners, suppliers and engineers.<p>

She explored the twin staircases, the wide open mess hall that led up to the sleeper pod corridor and the emergency beacon hail sub-station. The cargo elevator and intercostal ladders that led not only to the hold but to the labyrinth of refrigeration tunnels that snaked through the unique vessel's body. Aran climbed through this maze; finding the crew quarters, the gym, the escape pod berths, and her secret laboratory. Seeing them all through small vents that only she could squeeze into.

The engine room was truly beautiful - though whenever she witnessed the Tantalus drive core spinning hypnotically as Tali and Adams got her ship lifting off from the dockyards. She felt disquiet; dark energy technology had been widely discontinued in her timeline. It's long term effects were unknown and strictly apocalyptic when overused and saturated just as one could ruin a planet's ecosystem - was it possible to warp a sun, a system, a cluster, a Galaxy?

In the long term, this power was dangerous. The Reapers were living proof of this. Though she sometimes prayed that she was mistaken and that the evidence pointed to a smaller disaster. But if past adventures were anything to go by, she would have no such luck. The Trybondian had investigated beyond unactivated relays with warp speed-drive and had discovered a site that they insisted she investigate first. The implications were resoundingly terrifying, even for one such as her. Could her surrogate family, in this Universe, still be alive?

Whispers of contention and despair echoed throughout her subconscious. Unseen by all, she retired to her quarters massaging her burning temples which were now locked in a vice headache. Oily, tendril-like shadows clawed at her being, an after-affect of the indoctrination process. Samus brought out an ancient prayer mat of the Chozo, hidden under her bed. It was embroidered with their runes and several alternating boarders that gave it an illusory feel; as if the patterns were shifting. She lit some sticks of Craterian jade amber incense that reminded her of Zebes, her second home. Then sat in the lotus position atop the rug she herself had woven.

It took four solid hours of meditation but eventually she purged the taint from her mind. Exhausted from the difficulty of the procedure. Aran had no choice but to actually sleep at least a good three hours for the first time in a long time. That's when Wrex made his move...

"You should be ashamed, Wrex." Vakarian admonished him as the Krogan tiptoed out of the Commander's room.

"Ah, where's your sense of _humour_, Garrus."

"Still severely limited after seeing what that bastard Saleon did to those people."

"Come on, that was _two months ago_. Sam still been giving you all manner of advice on your future? Believe me - you need it!"

"Wrex, I wasn't about to shoot an unarmed man!"

"He had _a scalpel!_ Along with all the twisted shit he pulled? Trust me, Garrus; you'd make a _fine_ Spectre once you let that killer instinct of yours roam free a bit more."

"Hm,_ maybe_. But then where does all the violence _end?_"

"It doesn't!" Wrex boomed cheerfully. "Why? Is that a_ bad_ thing?"

Garrus sighed in weary exasperation.

* * *

><p>Yawning, Samus stretched as she awoke. Eyes still closed she rolled over and her arms fell through the dessicated form of someone lying in the bed with her. Aran gave a yelp of fright as the body crumbled into dust; rolled off her mattress and hit the floor. <em>"I've killed Liara!"<em> She thought frantically. _"Oh ancestors! I must have lost control of my powers and - wait a minute!"_

She balanced on her knees, inched closer and carefully caught a trail of wispy atom dust with her biotics. She inhaled the scent.

It was _smoked Varren_.

She sat back on her knees, raised her fists to the heavens, threw back her head and what began with a murmur ended on a roar:

"Erd - NAUGHT - _WRRRRRREEEEEEEX!_"

* * *

><p>Jeff, the new marines and the cursed Krogan in question didn't hear the cavernous shout due to their shared hilarity.<p>

"Oh, Wrex..." Jamie practically wept. "You are_ psychoti_c!"

"Ha, ha, Ha! _Yeah_... Oh, I'm _a bad man_."

"I prefer to think of you as a _dead_ man." Joker quipped sagely.

"She'll get over it, it was just a little prank! I'll bet she'll walk through those doors having just as good a laugh as we are now - "

Right on cue, the sliding doors to the bridge somehow slammed open.

"WHERE IS HE?! I'M GONNA _KILL HIM!_"

Wrex's blood froze.

" - Fuck." He whispered.

Most of the crew were transfixed as they watched Samus chase Wrex all over the ship for most of the morning shift. To Wrex's horror, when she caught him. It had only been a game of friendly tag despite her outward display of complete aggression. That had been her payback; considering Wrex thought his life had been forfeit throughout the chase - she didn't think further recompense was necessary.

Later that day, Samus got on the intercom to speak to the crew as a whole.

"Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. We'll be diverting to three other stops before we reach our main objective this week; the second rock from the sun in an _uncharted System_. Now the planet in question is called Turvess according to their sat chatter and is home to an indigenous group of humanoids called the Raloi - so I want _everyone_ to be on their best behaviour while ashore. In fact, try to avoid all contact with the natives. Even sealed armour can carry contagions that would prove disastrous to their biology, so Jeff. Stay on the water. First stop today, ladies and gentleman, the Sol System and our own Home World's moon, Luna. Ground team - suit up."

* * *

><p>Garrus and Aran were pinned down by about a dozen automated drones gone nuts from the on board Hannibal VI's breakdown at an Alliance navy orientation range. The psychotic self-actualized software had every practice bot, drone and mech in the entire training facility going rampant, it had mown down the marines that had been present and was now attempting to storm their positions with its robot proxies; as its sanity chip seemed to have very definitely, malfunctioned. Hackett needed a clean-up.<p>

"So what do you think, Commander?" Vakarian inquired of her again.

Samus sighed. "Look, I'm not going to say it again. You two can only take things so far. I still believe that shipboard relationships complicate things."

"For who? You?" Garrus asked, sabotaging robotic mass accelerator heat sinks without looking.

"For _everyone_." She replied sternly, blind firing and turning the drones into slag.

* * *

><p>The pair were dragged by mercenaries into a secret criminal base on Amaranthine, bagged for safety's sake. (From Blake's perspective.) Garrus turned his blind head to locate Aran's footfalls as they were pushed along, the significantly larger satin sack whipping like a Father Christmas hat.<p>

"Well, what about _love_?"

"I'm not _against_ it."

"Sensing a _but_ here."

"Correct, 'but' it can split loyalties, cause problems."

"You know what _I_ think?"

"No, what do _you_ think?"

* * *

><p>Samus was cooking a midnight snack, she opened a high cupboard to retrieve several small spice jars. Upon closing it. Garrus had appeared in front of her.<p>

"Gah! You _startled_ me!" Aran admonished him.

"Seems you may have lost your touch, first Wrex, now me - "

"Shut it."

"We are _going_ to talk about this again." He said, crossing his arms.

"No, we, are, _not_." She deadpanned in return, chopping up a multitude of meat and vegetables on the fly.

"I've said it once before, I think this whole policy of yours is just _you_ projecting _your own_ intimacy issues onto everyone else!"

"How_ insightful_ of you, Garrus!" A mock-revelatory tone creeping into her usually neutral voice. "Maybe it's _a bit_ smaller than that. Maybe I just don't think you're _good enough_ for Tali."

* * *

><p>Vakarian gunned the Mako towards a ramshackle fortress on Nonuel. Aran was taking forty winks in the passenger seat. It took him ten full minutes to pluck up his courage and speak to her. As if he were a toddler scared of piping up to mommy for sweeties.<p>

"... I don't care what you think about the matter."

"Obviously," Sam muttered, one foot in the waking world, head lolled back, still dozing. "Since you keep on _asking_ me about it."

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do. I think you care _a lot_ about my informed opinion."

" - Well, you're wrong." He fired back lamely.

"Look, it comes down to_ history_, Garrus. Liara and I - we have a backlog of precious memories and we've only been together for eight months. We took in the sights on Earth, Thessia and several other undiscovered and _unmolested_ Garden Worlds. We share a deep psychic bond nurtured into a - what _I consider_ to be, a spiritual state of enlightenment due to our repeated mind-melds; plus our interests and mannerisms are both closely aligned and complimentary to our different halves. You've got to ask yourself some fundamental questions about the history you and Tali share."

"The nature of that history..." He drove in silence for about forty whole seconds before it dawned on him triumphantly. "... We bicker quite a bit."

The N7 Guardian adjacent to him sighed to the ceiling. " - It's a start."

* * *

><p>"I'd hoped the Alliance would take this meeting seriously."<p>

The Human Warlord known as Darius sneered down at the single woman from his balcony. The one wearing a Spectre insignia on the pauldron of her vibrantly orange and sable armour. Samus placed her hands behind her back. She was flanked and practically surrounded by retainers, all heavily armed and armoured.

She looked the dark skinned man straight in his runny red-veined eyes. Apart from his grey shiny teeth, the brown hide of his face was actually _glistening_ with red patches of the cut-drug, the tell-tale signs of a serious duster.

Outside the throne room of Darius's _palace_ compound, Garrus and Kaidan were also guarded by two Krogan. Though their main weapons had been confiscated. They all had their concealed sidearms. Vakarian his custom Seraph, Alenko a pimped out Beretta 929 and Shepard had finally decided to officially name her dual handguns Euxenite and Argyrodite; after her Spectre signature HMW Mk. X and the modular Paralyzer respectively.

"He's not going to say what I think he's going to say, is he?" Kaidan whispered to Garrus out of the corner of his mouth.

"If he's _stupid_ he will."

"Instead they send me _a woman_!" Darius's voice blared over the compound's speakers. "Were you supposed to use your _assets_ to win concessions from me?"

"Oh, he's a dead man..." Garrus chuckled.

"Shut up! Cuttle-bone!" The Krogan next to him berated loudly.

"Cool it, turtle-neck. We're just betting on how fast Shepard will carve out you guys and deliver this eezo foundry to the Alliance." Alenko responded mildly. "Thirty seconds?"

"Twenty." Garrus decided.

"You're on."

"According to your file," Darius riffled through the haptic pages. "You hardly saved anyone on Elysium! Some _war hero_ you turned out to be!"

"I'm not here to put up with your crap, Darius. Shall we talk, or would you rather I shoot you now?" Aran replied flatly.

"You can't _speak_ to me that way! You and your Alliance _owe_ me, Shepard!" He brandished a fully kitted Lancer assault rifle; SA Issue. "You see this gun? This is _your gun_! Your military set me up here and now it wants to pretend it _doesn't know m_e! But _I_ know _the truth_! The Alliance _needed_ me here; so treat me with the respect I _deserve_!"

Aran's shoulders lurched in a suppressed huff of enjoyment. He sure riled easy. She looked up once more

"If you want respect, you piece of crap; you'll quickly get what you deserve. Why turn to red sand smuggling when you were outfitted by the Alliance?"

"Because I had the strongest syndicate in the area. After the Batarians were driven out of the Verge they gave me the money and weapons to take over. ... Idiots! So don't act like we are _so different_, soldier! I deserve your Alliance's _gratitude_, not these attacks!"

"You call mining element zero an attack?"

"From an asteroid in my territory! It was trespass and theft! Punitive retaliation was the _only_ way to respond!

"Can we get back to business?"

"If you're prepared to treat me as a powerful and respected ally of the Alliance, _certainly_."

Aran smoothed out an immortal retort: "An ally? Is that supposed to be some kind of bad joke? I've killed worse than you on my way to _real_ problems."

"How does she think of lines like those?" Garrus turned to Kaidan as they heard explosions and resounding gunfire echo from beyond the double doors. Kaidan shrugged.

"Concentrated badassitude?"

They nodded to each other and simultaneously took down their Krogan sentries; who were both staring gormlessly at the room where their fellow retainers were being unfairly slaughtered.

Biotic charges, screams and more copious gunfire stuttered to a close before too long. Garrus checked his timepiece.

"Eighteen seconds, not bad..."

Alenko grudgingly slapped a five hundred credit, platinum stamped chip into his hand.

"Thank - you."

"Shut up, Garrus."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh."

The double doors swung open, revealing Samus atop a mountain of corpses, she slid down it like a surfer and hopped up in front of the pair.

"I overloaded all those shoddy electronics underneath his balcony. Took out about three score of his retainers in one blow."

"What about Darius?"

"Him? Oh, he's _very slowly_ getting away over the salt-pans."

Outside, the trio reached a high wall of the battlements, looking down as _his lordship_ raced from his seat of power in a tripped-out dune buggy.

Samus took in the speck of the now distantly fleeing pirate, then checked the wind direction.

"1.9 miles away, twenty three mile an hour gust, North-Easterly direction, axial tilt - " She checked the celestial body, in this case peering at Nonuel's blue sun with her toughened irises. "20.5 degrees. Can you make that shot, _Vakarian_?"

"Remember who you're talking to, _Aran_." He chuckled, configuring his Kuwashi visor for his Commander's spotter co-ordinates, before balancing his favourite rifle, (Aran's old Volkov sharp-scope) on the parapet.

He aligned the cross-hairs and breathed deeply; as his father had taught him. But was somewhat mortified to see that Darius's two-man rover had a disruptor plate in place of a rear window at the cabin. A holographic safeguard that messed up a VI targeting lens. Not wanting to appear out of his element; he switched to holo sight and eye-balled it as best he could, held his breath, paused - and fired.

Kaidan lowered a small spy-scope from his eye. "Negative. No hit."

"Cheating bastard!" Garrus clenched his three-fingered fist tightly around the bolt as he breeched his weapon, cooling the synthetic diamond thermal clip as it passed through the Bose-Einstein condensate matrix. He always wondered at Aran's innovations. Their dynamic duo possessed the Galaxy's _only two_ rapid-fire heavy calibre rifles.

Samus patted him on the back consolingly. Then drew the newly dubbed Argyrodite; her multi-purpose Chozo hand cannon. She double-checked the plains' environmental readings, then activated the beautifully crafted magnum's reflex sight by sub-vocal range alone and adopted her firing stance in an alien-variant of the Center Axis Relock; one-handed.

Darius was now entering the lowland hills, bouncing down and up small slopes. He'd soon be gone from their sight. Aran focused with all of her supra-natural clarity, using a psionic thought to morph the Paralyzer's components from an anti-matter projector into a perfectly helical barreled slug thrower and the shaped proton charge into a aluminum cartridge-rimmed .729 lead wad of electronically-hurled destruction. Polarizing negative current would catapult the bullet further than one could conceive. Though Aran also adjusted the charge setting mentally to an exact percentage to compensate, which she did according to her exactly quantified calculations. Gods she loved this gun.

Kaidan quickly brought his scope back up as Sam fired, the recoil flexing her wrist almost imperceptibly. There was a two second delay.

"See, you missed as well!" Garrus jeered in good sport.

"Wait..." Aran shushed.

The bullet tumbled, gaining obscene momentum - and at the _exact_ moment when Darius was just about to head over the horizon. There was a flash of sparks accompanied by his driver's head departing clean from his shoulders as the vehicle overturned to throw the Warlord from the spinning wreckage.

"Clean hit, Commander!" Alenko confirmed.

"... _Noh_...!" An almost pained moan escaped Garrus, completely dumbfounded as he was. He zoomed in with his visor and sure enough. Samus had got a kill shot.

"Quick, Commander! Get Darius!" Vakarian reminded her, trying to regain his bluster.

"Impossible." She replied idly.

"What do you mean? That was marksmanship like I've never seen. Tumble it over the ridge."

"Even the Commander can't know _which_ direction he's running in. Besides it's _your_ turn to redeem yourself, Garrus!" Kaidan nudged him jokingly.

Aran was maintaining and stroking her gun fondly when she spoke: "Impossible from _this_ angle." She pointedly looked up and the others followed her gaze to a watchtower West along the cresting.

* * *

><p>"Never seen a shot like that..." Garrus shook his head in wonderment as they went up the spiral staircase.<p>

"And you never will again."

"Unless I can - _one-up_ you..."

"Put your money where your mouth is then, Vakarian."

Darius was amazingly, 2.5 miles away now. Garrus took out a spirit-measure and checked for a perfectly level surface to rest his tri-pod stand. Once he had, Sam lent him her skills as a spotter, reciting the new slant, angle and atmospheric conditions while Kaidan acted as their flanker in case any remaining mercs were foolish enough to attack again.

Lying on his stomach, (atop the grate platform of the heightened weather stack.) Garrus swapped out his barbed shredder clip for a sabot anti-material magazine; then he adjusted his scope for 20x magnification and tuned the variable compensator to it's lowest setting. Effectively having to cycle an entire thermal clip as the incredible kickback (in conductive form would actually sublimate every graphene particle sink into gaseous form.) The technique was called o'ccid'ezre in the Turian tongue.

The still fleeing dot of Darius passed behind a large igneous rock. Garrus tracked him, led, then squeezed the trigger to the point that the most minute of twitches would sling the grain on it's pre-determined course.

"Wind's in your favour, Garrus." Aran informed him. "Compensate - then wait for him to reveal - "

'CRACK-PHOOM!' Vakarian's rifle sang.

A puff of grey rock dust blossomed from one face of the boulder after only a one point five second delay, followed by a great deal of crimson mist from the other side. Darius fell from his cover and rolled over and over like a pathetic downed deer. The top of his head was blown off. _While_ he'd been on the run.

Vakarian looked up smugly while Samus relaxed her extraocular muscles that could continuously adjust the curvature of her eyeballs to maintain sharp focus and accurate perception. Eight times to the power more clarity than any Human, (or Turian, for that matter,) could boast. True telescopic vision.

Kaidan's questioning look of whether the shot had been successful was answered by Samus as she blinked once, stood, gripped Vakarian's side collar for support and shook the Turian comradely.

"Touche, Garrus. Touche."

* * *

><p>That night, at Normandy's dinner table. Aran congratulated her friend and student again.<p>

"You've got my blessing, Garrus. If you're as skilled in love as you are with a sharps. You'll be getting a Quigley in no-time!" She, Jamie, Wrex and several other crew members laughed at the private joke. They had all seen Chloe and Tali sitting with their resident friendly sniper in Flux.

"Thank you, Commander." He smiled uncertainly, wondering what he was missing... "Anyway," he lowered his voice, so only she could hear, then leant across the table secretively to whisper in her ear. "Now that I've got your go-ahead; I need your advice on what Tali would like as a present."

Samus nodded in wise comprehension, "Well, it's important not to shower us with gifts, Garrus. No proper girl wants to have her love bought. Your winning company is what's _most_ important and - " She stopped abruptly, then narrowed her eyes - she hissed back. "Do you mean to tell me that while you've been badgering me _all week_. You've neglected to even _speak_ with Tali?"

"Yes... Why?"

Aran cupped her temples with her left hand.

* * *

><p>Jeff was relaxing in the helmsman's chair when his glorious leader stood over him.<p>

"Joker."

"Mhm?"

"Why isn't my ship off the ground?"

"Oh that," he spun his upholstery around with a pre-prepared look of childish glee on his face.

"Wrex said he needed to speak with you and give everyone an option on the matter before you decided."

"Decide...? I didn't make any arrangement with him, unless he wants to volunteer being air-locked!"

"Cool it, Commandant!"

"Sorry, Joker. You see. I'm - a little confused here. I mean - I'm angry and I'm _armed_..." She swept back her Officer's jacket to display her gun belt. Jeff audibly gulped and sweat beaded his forehead.

"Better check with him," was all he managed to whimper out.

"... Alrighty then."

"See? Aren't they adorable?" Cooed Wrex as about twenty five of the crew gathered round him.

"All right, what's going on? Let me through - let me through! Barret unless you want to be on latrine duty, get out of my way!"

"Ah, Shepard, you made it!" Wrex said as she pushed through the small crush to see...

Wrex holding a blanket-lined box containing seven tortoise-shell tabby kittens.

Aran stared open-mouthed at the mewling critters, before looking up at the Krogan who held them like a proud father.

" - What - are _those_?"

"Fire and forget missiles for vermin, Commander! Stress-relief for everyone else; thrown in as an added bonus!"

Samus looked to be on the verge of pulling her hair out in frustration, but after taking a deep breath she managed: "you found those in Darius's fort?"

"_Yup_, couldn't just _leave em'_ to starve."

"I _understand_ that, however - " She checked her shoulders as some of the crew began to snigger. "Don't you all have _jobs_ to be doing?" She snapped, sending them all packing.

She turned back to Wrex. "As - _valid_ as their uses might be, I can't have them on a Spectre warship; hand them over."

The Krogan sighed regretfully, "very well, Commander. If I must..."

He allowed her to take the box from his arms. As she did Samus couldn't help but catch the attention of all those wide-eyed, fluffy-headed, tousle-eared kits. She slowly looked Wrex in his reptilian eye. He nodded with a knowing glint in his eye. A ghost of a smile playing around the corners of his mammoth maw.

Samus looked back at the litter, worrying her lower lip. Furry cute critters had _always_ been a weakness of hers...

"You - utter - _bastard_..." She whispered to Wrex, she made to walk away, looking as if she were praying for patience. Then one of the kittens licked the back of her thumb with it's little rough tongue.

"Alright! I concede!" She turned back to the Battlemaster with fire in her eyes. "You can keep _one_ after Turvess. Some of our manpower is being rotated and relieved when we reach Alliance Space, they can find the siblings new homes." Wrex gladly accepted the kittens back, rocking them gently before setting them down in a corner.

"They'll need all the necessary amenities, Wrex. I expect you to - "

He moved his bulk to reveal seven sets of (until then hidden) alternating coloured food bowls along with many bottles of water and diced meat from his own food supplies, along with three advanced omni gel converter litter-trays for faeces and urine.

"Oh, okay... Carry on."

Wrex gave her a mock salute.

* * *

><p>"Aw, that's good." Samus murmured, sitting on the edge of her bed as Liara knelt behind her and massaged her shoulders with consummate ability.<p>

"I know you may not wish to answer this..."

"I'm game, shoot."

"How many - partners have you been with before me?"

"Would you prefer the truth or a lie?"

"The truth, of course!" Liara slapped her shoulder playfully.

" - Hundreds of conquests," she conceded. "Three, I suppose you could call them _true_ loves... I'd rather not go into them."

"For one as_ old_ as you I'm surprised that it's not _more_. Let me guess, no quaint little categories for you?"

"Boys... _Girls_," Aran added with a coy smirk. "Weird – alien _hermaphrodites_, it's – it's best not to go into the nitty gritty _details_... I'd probably give every male on this ship a coronary and Wrex would get down on bended knee to make me his first tribal clan hen if I regaled him with just _one_ past exploit. What about you – gorgeous."

"And here I thought my sexual status was quite _transparent_."

"What? No! That's terrible! What kind of a lifestyle is that!? Oh, and being a virgin is no problem for me by the way."

"But I thought..."

"Please, T'Soni. You're talking to a woman who at one point in her life... Was completely celibate for four - hundred - years."

"... By the Goddess...!"

"_Mhm_, it's not just_ pain_ I have an iron control over, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>Turvess. A temperate, mostly ocean covered terrestrial body. With land masses congregated around either side of the equator. Mainly due to the electrical storms that boiled the sea and separated them perpetually. This resulted in a technological disparity between the Northern continents, who possessed 21st century equivalent of Earth-based machinery and the South pole; which was inhabited by a primordial people. Living among the ruins of a far older isolated civilization.<p>

Aran's squad of seven air-dropped into the tropical jungle and began to make the trek to the co-ordinates Adam had provided. Joker would land Normandy on the nearby river for take-off.

Due to renewing spiritual reasons. Samus decided to go without weapons or armour. This didn't stop the rest of the team from scanning the trees and thicket with their firearms. The sky was several shades of gold, pink and purple as it was deep gloomy dusk. Instead, the Zero parasite had taken the shape of an old garment that she had not worn in an undisclosed age. Her Chozo over-cloak and robes.

They were light grey with charcoal calligraphic patterns stitched painstakingly into the back, billowing bordered sleeves, broad shoulder ornamentation composed of an alien leather fabric, the inner tunic was decorated with a Chozodian sutra strip that hung from her vine-patterned belt. The materials looked light yet substantially layered, composed of several different shifting textiles, yet the pleated under-garment still looked monastic and purposeful. Kept in check with a similarly bunched tabard and ridged collar that combined an almost war-like reminder of its capability for combat. Including the lightning bolt symbol of her power suit etched in thread at the base of her throat, a graceful battle skirt and knee-high, segmented boots, with heavy grip over dark velvety trousers.

"We're being followed," Wrex informed her, raising his crest and sniffing the air. "Synthetics."

"I know." Aran replied, lifting up the hood of her newly morphed robes to shadow her features. "They mean us no harm. Keep walking."

The party noticed more and more, the tiny glimpses of the organa-mechas. Beings of steel and orange neon highlights, flitting through the canopy and the underbrush. They could only ever see one at a time. There could have been one or even thirty. It wasn't until the squad saw the anti-matter steam, misting off of their beaked masks and even some exposed flesh; that they cottoned on to the fact that they were men and women in partial power suits.

"Who are they, Skipper?" Ash wondered in awe. "What kind of race _are_ the Trybondian?"

"Race?" Samus returned with a raised brow, "all of you must have wondered at one time or another. That none of us are a part of the sentient consciousness by _choice_. We were born without consultation or _understanding_. In comparison, my Grandfather taught me that benign Synthetic Intelligence is all about that deliberate leap - the one we can't even dream of with all our pre-conceptions. The nano-foundry programme was automated to collect and filter the absolute basic potential in every new Aurora Unit. Those are biological super computers by the way. Adam nurtured the spark of life until each developed a nebulous perspective, for lack of a better word, _a soul_. Each unit was given a full programming choice: Brave life, or return to the void."

"... My _God_," Williams breathed in awe.

"The exact opposite in fact. Unabashed, innocent, _pure_ life. Every Revenant Elysian born willingly gave him or herself over to _existence_. The truest form of bravery and self-sacrifice. Imagine entering this world knowing your absolute, definable and inexorable purpose? Well theirs is to _preserve life_ and I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure they fulfill their chosen creed's true meaning."

"The Sustainers..." Liara murmured as she walked alongside her love.

"_Exactly_, I'll tell you more as we go."

But it seemed further explanation of her redoubtable allies would have to wait. They had reached a grassy mesa. And on the other side, a spectacle that used multiple plunge water-falls as a fountain decoration along its upper levels...

A magnificent temple. Towering into the sky and around six kilometers wide. Four hundred sloping steps led up to the interior which was watched over from above by the still turquoise glowing eyes of the Chozo Statues, three hundred feet tall. Everything was carved in terrific detail out of neigh-indestructible, dull gold Denzium.

"Walk slowly and respectfully and for ghost's sake put away your guns. The defences are still active after all this time."

"At this distance?" Wrex looked sour.

"Just do it!" Jim reprimanded him.

It took the better part of the evening to slowly reach the base of the temple steps. Samus activated her omni tool's beacon and summoned a small sphere that could house auditory and visual for Adam. It rapidly assembled into the metal orb, telescopically opening up a single green, luminous eye as it was charged by the beacon.

"Everyone. I'd like you to meet Adam Malkovich, my faithful shadow."

The floating drone swiveled to take in everyone's face. Then dived in close to Tali's helmeted head, causing her to jump back reflexively.

"Hello, hello. Sam's told me a lot about all of you, yes she has. Ah, first we have Daddy's little girl, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Scourge of the metal beasties, is it? Well I am a very old friend of your Commander's - so _please_ don't shoot me. I'd like for us all to be good friends as well."

Aran noticed Tali's firm grip on her Avalanche shotgun as Adam weaved and bobbed around her.

"I trust Shepard, but I _don't_ trust AI's no matter how helpful. Especially when I know so little about you."

"Nothing to worry about, dear. I'm as safe as houses, promoted to super computer after retirement with an energy grenade, that's me. Couldn't let my 'brilliant military mind' go to waste now, could they?"

"You're based on a Human neural profile?" Jamie asked.

"Not just _based_, me lado! _Integrated_, a perfect fusion of man and machine."

"Ridiculous! / Cool!" Tali and Jim said respectively and at the same time.

The pilgrim spoke up first: "I still think that's crazy, blue boxes are unstable at the best of times and - "

"Hey, I resent that, missy! A psychologically stable and healthy Human brain has the experience and the mapping to adapt to any hardware as easily as breathing. It's the perfect template. I mean I've been around for most of our Lady's career! That's a very long time!"

"Hmph!" Tali still seemed unconvinced, although Aran noticed as she sat on the third step that the Quarian's body language indicated receptiveness and a thirst to hear more from the unique ageless AI personality.

"_Lady_?" Garrus chuckled at Aran, though she was a stunner by most races standards, Samus was not one to openly advertise her sex.

"Merely a private term of endearment, _Mr. Vakarian_." Adam said snootily as he spun to face him, bobbing around like he was on a fishing rod. His 'eye' shrunk in size as if he was sizing the Turian up.

"Blimey, mate. You're not _half ugl_y; channels an Urtragian doesn't he, my Lady? Gives me the creeps!"

"Knock it off, Adam. Garrus is a good soldier - a great soldier." She looked pointedly at him upon the last half of her sentence. Garrus gave her a nod of appreciation while Adam waxed on about the similar bio-forms he'd had to take a photonic scythe to.

"Hmm, grumpy Krogan, freaked out Alliance marine, nice hair by the way. And... Well _helloo_, beautiful!"

Liara blushed at Adam's compliment, it was quite apparent to everyone present that no VI would have the range of responses necessary to reply in a conversation with multiple individuals all asking him different questions.

"As you can see from his side-splitting antics." Samus poured on the sarcasm as she stood, addressing the party while Malkovich's hover droid spun round the tip of her skull like a halo. "Adam has lost none of his flair for social interaction. He is a true and clear example of how we evolve. We build from the ground-up, never from the top-down. Starting at nothing and becoming so much more. Never do things the easy way, do them the hard way."

Aran decided to cut her preachy loquaciousness short in favour of grabbing the excitable Adam out of the air.

"So what do you have for us here, Adam?"

"Not sure, my Lady. Scouts reported Chozo biometric scanners at the top of the temple. The Raloi seem to have built their dwellings around far-reaching tunnels into the lower catacombs; meaning we'll have to enter through the front door. Unless you want to anger the locals."

"Shepard," Liara put her hand up, as if it were classroom time. "What are your foster-parent's ruins doing within _our_ time-line? You told me they'd transcended the mortal coil."

"True, I haven't seen a live Chozo for over a thousand years. They must have existed as - _observers_ of the Reaper cycle. This architecture is too familiar to me. They must have had the means to not just stay one step ahead of the Reapers but to actively deny them their own extinction."

"How can you be sure, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"Building, weaponry, transportation. It's all interconnected. A fundamental aspect of Chozo engineering is selective obsolescence. The Reapers may have drowned them in numbers, but they couldn't penetrate their strongholds; adapting DNA wouldn't work either - that process needs to be harmonious and ultimately benign in its intent. Anything else and the operation would be a failure. And conversion wouldn't work either - they don't leave bodies behind."

"In conclusion, boys and girls." Adam announced airily. "This Universe had a nomadic splinter group of the Eco-spirited tribes, ones who settled in the Milky Way and plotted the Reaper's eventual downfall. And we have a repository of ancient knowledge just waiting to be opened up to divulge some Reaper arse-kicking factoids!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Adam. This is the start of things to come. One more piece of the puzzle."

"You're right of course. Eden Prime, the mass relays, the Citadel, even that proto-recorder on Eletania... They _all_ point to a _massive ancient conspiracy_. Well than, kiddies" Let's not dawdle - time to go and uncover the first of many secrets..."

The gargantuan stairs took the better part of an hour to mantle and when they all reached the top; they were confronted with an intricate facade of Chozo runes, dwarfing them all. As Samus neared they began to glow a similar light as the Guardian's eyes - reacting to her presence.

"Now that's creepifying." Wrex spoke for everyone to hear.

"Shh!"

Aran bowed her head, eyes closed. When they snapped open they were glowing orbs of contained neutralino energy. She began to speak in a language none of her allies could understand. Their translators wouldn't have been able to keep up either as she spoke so fast. To the Human members of the party; her voice sounded like the chanting of song birds, the cooing of doves and the crying of eagles all intertwined but it was by no means unpleasant, it had absolute cadence and - if anything, it was lyrical.

Creaking with the dust of untold ages. A seamless light-based vertical fissure appeared, tracing many of the alien patterns along its route. Apart from one huge burst of smoke and the initial sound of the mountainous doors opening - the process was near completely silent. Samus parted the mist with non-gesture telekinesis. Eyes returning to normal. Then began to walk slowly and indomitably into the dark... The image somewhat spoiled by Adam's remote bobbing along behind her.

The crew broke out flashlights as they followed, their torch beams catching off not only the geometrically patterned floor but also the smaller sculptures of the now proven-to-exist bird people, crouched in gargoyle-esque stances - _watching_ them.

"So, Commander," Jim decided to stick close. "How many of those things in the forest are there?"

"The Elysians? Very few in comparison to the rest of the army. They co-ordinate entire regiments and number about fifteen thousand."

"Fifteen thousand?!"

"That's nothing. The Galaxy needs to start militarizing ASAP. The Turians could field _billions_ of soldiers, as could Humanity. At the last count my forces tally to about one hundred and fifty million units."

"Who are the other 149,985,000, then?"

"Numerous freed slaves from the Terminus, Batarian civilians on the run from the Hegemony, Unification outcasts, even pirate POW's we won over to our side. In the first week before I left for Earth; I established a small task force that could carry on my directives. They were few in number compared to the Afterlife Cartels but they were better armed, fielded and commanded. Adam's been my eyes and ears in the Terminus for nearly eleven years; operating under the alias of being a new power in the criminal underworld. Eventually we'll rival and surpass even the Blue Suns. If we don't already."

"You sure have planned this ahead, very well." He muttered, sweeping the beam back and forth.

"It's what I do." She replied.

The team proceeded further into the temple. Adam taking scans of everything and anything in range. Mild illumination of the hieroglyphics helped light their way. They even noticed huge murals of Reaper ships and their fell occupants descending from Dark Space. Culling everything in their path.

"How did the Reapers not destroy this place?" Liara wondered out loud.

"Denzium particles can only be broken by an anti-matter reaction," Samus answered her. "Not to mention the fact that many structures were capable of flight and even teleportation; Chozo believe that the land is sacred, therefore they ensured even their works would or couldn't remain for ever. Someone_ purposefully_ left this stronghold behind. Someone _wants_ to meet me.

It took almost all night to fully comb the ancient monument. It was in the deepest vault of the highest tomb that Samus unlocked with her very presence - that she found what she was looking for.

"Dryn-la..." She intoned in Chozodian, wordlessly telling the others to keep back as she entered the sacred area. The impossibly arched ceiling stretched into near blackness and in the centre of the domed room, upon a mighty throne that still glowed dimly with warm gold lines, was the living Torizo statue of a once mighty Chozo Warrior.

An ethereal sigh swept around the chamber. The biological metal seemed to shift slightly. Aran knelt quickly before the twenty foot effigy. She knew this being from the stories her Grandpa; Aba-ven had told her when she had just been an over-active toddler. So many years ago...

Dryn had been the key scientist in Power Suit technology and had been the first of the Old Ones to utilize it in open war.

"Stand - young one..." Dryn whispered in the ancient tongue, his hands cupped a clockwork orb of unrivaled complexity. A vessel of knowledge. "You bow to _no-one_."

"My life would not be possible without your successes, All-Father." Samus returned respectfully.

"You do yourself too little credit, hatchling. You've come further than any pure-blooded warrior that came before you. But your own power is insufficient to win this war. It is war unlike any you have ever faced. Our colonies lasted forty cycles before being reduced to this last bastion of hope. And soon - there will being nothing left of us - save _your_ legacy."

"Saren and Sovereign are threats I _can_ combat. I don't know if I've done enough to prepare for the future..."

"I have seen the beginnings of your work in my dreams. As I saw the deaths of so many; including the Protheans. I cannot - recall the exact nature of their plan, for it has been over_ two million years_ since we came here. Yet it was too late, our endeavors progressed slowly as we attempted to learn of the Reapers and their plans. And to our _shame_... Isolated ourselves from the rest of the Galaxy while untold civilizations burned. Yet we have faith that you will _finish_ our work. The relay network is the key to the Reapers' supremacy; their device, their - _weapon_, it... is _their_ trial, a culmination of all their efforts. But it will also be yours... _Your_ _Crucible_. We would have turned it _against them_, but _we_ could not - for you will face this same evil - and _you_ will defeat it."

Dryn held out the repository, a hard-drive of unlimited knowledge that was controlled by an early Chozo Aurora Unit. The Archivist.

Samus reverently accepted the spherical tome. Even as Dryn gave up the vestiges of his contained physical form and departed to the ethereal plane after millenia of waiting for the Chosen. The Child of the Prophecy of Light.

Aran was saddened that even her archaic ancestors had met their end. Unable to entirely remember the details of the Reaper invasions and powerless to take any militant stand against the scourge. Mental blocks prevented them from even _trying_ to harm other beings, organics or synthetics. Self-defence or no. Passive or aggressive. Just the act of defying the block by waiting for one who could act on their knowledge and employ it militarily; would be akin to committing it. Dryn-la's mental fortitude was something even_ she_ couldn't fathom.

Still, they now had everything on the Reaper's capabilities, their methods, their operations. With _this_, Adam's team would unlock the secrets of the mass relays at an even greater speed. And maybe, just maybe. When the time came... They would be _ready_...

Adam transported the Archivist back to New Daiban. Which had also been moved from its current system, along with her hidden relay. The time for unlocking its secrets would come after they'd paid Virmire a visit. It was time to track Saren to his final goal; they were neck and neck in this race now.

"What I don't understand," Garrus asked Aran. "Is _how_ this technology works, it's like magic!"

"_Science_, Vakarian. You know how there are five sates of matter. Liquid, solid, gas, plasma and quarks. The Chozo simply reached the apex of the Natural World where it came to Quantum Chromodynamic manipulation. The ability to convert and bend energy, no matter what kind to their will. I could go into greater depth if you'd like?"

"Er, no, that's okay, Commander."

The team reached the upper hall, only to be met with a rather unwelcoming sight. They were surrounded by Raloi natives, wearing ornamental beads, witch doctor masks and braided feather head-dresses. They were also leveling bows, slings and blow pipes at the intruders of their perceived holy ground.

"Everyone... _Run_."

Samus shoved the natives back with her biotics, allowing them to make a break for it. As the team raced for the exit, Aran fought them off non-violently and through mis-direction and throws, snapping off spear heads with wheel kicks, causing projectiles to turn into dust and throwing the crowd back with mass-lightening fields when they got too close for comfort. Keeping them at bay for twenty minutes.

She tried to see if the similarly avian species understood her by shouting different dialects of Chozo. But if anything it made them even angrier. She cast off her outer robe, projecting most of the Zero suit outwards. It turned into black mist, blinding them as she raced for the exit. Leaving her with a sleeveless white chemise, white loose satin trousers and bare feet for sprinting.

Unfortunately, the Raloi were equipped with strong ostrich-like legs - that allowed them to chase her more effectively than she would like. Imitating what her allies must have done, (since they were at the far tree line by now!) Samus surfed down the entire length of the wide banister. Followed by at least two hundred madly cawing tribesmen.

Kicking up dust, Sam risked a peak backwards and managed to duck a thrown spear while on the move, along with weaving around several darts that slapped into the ground by her legs. The Chozo Temple was rapidly disassembling into motes of gold and cyan light, Leaving this realm along with its guardian.

Aran picked up the pace as her barrier took a heavy beating from a shower of arrows. She reached the rain forest and began to free-run through the trees, sometimes scaling them when the undergrowth became too thick, dodging more projectiles and coming to laugh at the sheer simplicity of the situation for once.

She sprinted into the lowlands and began to run through the long-grass plain. Finally coming over a hill to see the Normandy floating on the fast-flowing river by her buoyant wing mounts. the crew were picking up her squad in a raft by the cargo hold. Moreau, on the other hand, the boy with the dubious honour of being the pilot she relied upon above all others, was _fishing_ without a care in the Universe.

"Jeff! Start the engine! JEFF! START THE ENGINE!" She projected to where he was, distracting him from his bite and making him lose his small rod.

Joker stood from his sitting position on the lip of the air-lock. Getting a good view of the massive congregation of angry aliens chasing his Commander.

"... Time to go!" He yipped shrilly, darting back inside the cockpit as fast as his leg braces could carry him.

Aran reached the bank's trees, latching on to a large felled trunk and racing up it. Heading for a collection of vines. She leapt and swung on the creeper, arcing far out into the river and releasing.

Normandy was firing up, her chemical jets boiling the water. Aran back-flip swan-dived under the surface and using a powerful butterfly stroke; managed to reach the nose of her ship and grab onto one of her nose sensor arrays; while she was in motion.

The Raloi peppered the hull futilely with arrows and other missiles as Samus climbed along the wind screen and shimmied on the curved roof; missing her by inches, wind resistance tore at her but her grip was solid, even as she slipped slightly thanks to the jet spray.

She used an inverted hanging entrance and landed safely in the outer air lock; waving happily to the irate natives as the SR1 lifted off and left them far behind.

**A/N: Woo! I'm back on form. Next time; Wrex's dilemma. Will he listen to Samus when the fate of his people is at stake? Will Adam ever learn vaunted tact? And will Garrus ever get his act together? Eight more chapters to finish!**

**And yes, you didn't imagine those Firefly references :D**


	34. Wrex Ruminates

**A/N: So it begins... The final countdown.  
><strong>

_"I feel like a ghost wandering in a world grown alien. I cannot cast out the old way of writing and I cannot acquire the new. I have made an intense effort to feel the musical manner of today, but it will not come to me."_

_(Sergei Rachmaninoff)_

_And I — my head oppressed by horror — said: "Master, what is it that I hear? Who are those people so defeated by their pain?"  
>And he to me replied: "This miserable way is taken by the sorry souls of those who lived without disgrace and without praise.<br>They now commingle with the coward angels, the company of those who were not rebels; nor faithful to their God, but stood apart.  
>The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened, have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them — for even the wicked cannot glory in them." <em>

_(Dante Alighieri) _

**Wrex Ruminates**

Within his private laboratory on the planet Virmire; Saren's mecha-organic eyes glowed a dull, fiery blue. Wirelessly up-linking to the Reaper monolith computer. The twin miniature cyber-prostheses on either side of the central neon blue iris began to swivel around - slowly but surely absorbing the rest of the Prothean beacon's processed data. The visions were collating... Revealing the final resting place of the Prothean's resistance.

It was only a matter of time, a matter of a few hours until the final location of the Conduit was revealed. Then - the return of his masters would truly be assured.

But there was an anomaly. Something that _had_ to be studied, for his master was curious as he was as to this individual's power and success, especially regarding her counteraction of the telepathic and technological might that was wielded by the Old Machines.

Arterius paged through his chief Krogan researcher; Dr. Raik Droyas. And allowed him access to the lab via his private elevator.

"Have you determined her genetic makeup?" Saren asked him without even turning from the red holo interface console.

"It's unique for one thing. An _ennead-strand_ configuration, over a hundred and fifty paired chromosomes in every cell. Absolutely remarkable alleles, really."

"... _Fascinating_. Have you managed to replicate some of the material?"

Droyas shuffled his feet. "I'm afraid not, Warlord. When we removed the tissue and blood samples from under their stasis field containment capsules... They - disappeared."

Saren's shoulders hunched with a sudden, tense motion. His reply was barely a whisper.

"... _How?_"

"Some kind of - chemical reaction." The Krogan scientist couldn't help but swallow what felt like a bowling ball past his Adam's apple. He was terrified. "I'm not - _exactly_ sure, there weren't even molecular _traces_. Sub-atomically it was - _completely_ _vaporized_."

An ominous rattling horn, echoed through the lab. Emanating from Saren's own throat. Though it was a sound no Turian could replicate. It carried as a shuddering, drawn-out note that made your teeth tingle, your ears whine and your bowels turn to water.

"Confound - that - _woman_..." Saren spat from between gritted fangs, having regained control of his upper brain functions without even realising that they had been lost to him mere seconds before. "If she can't be of _use_ to the new age - then she will cease like all the rest; such a_ pity_..."

"A pity? Why is that? Uh, my Lord?" He added quickly, mindful of his master's wrath.

"Because she is the _pinnacle_, the embodiment of the greatest that can be achieved: the survival of the fittest, an erudite mind in a superlative body, a physical mechanism mastered by and answerable to a _supremely trained will_. And I both love – and _hate_ her..."

Droyas was wise not to agree or disagree with his master's confounding statement. And instead remained politely silent.

* * *

><p><em>Undisclosed Space Station. Neutral Space. Attican Traverse. March 2183.<br>_

"I think we all know what's at stake here," grumbled Solem Del'Serah. The Batarian face of the Blue Suns PMC. Seated around the large conference table were the other dragon heads of the other numerous organized criminal gangs. They ran the gamete - from entrepreneurs to lowly street bosses.

Along the top rungs of the ladder there was Eclipse's Asari Commando leader, Jona Sederis, a relatively young but fabulously wealthy _security company specialist._ Whose mercenary soldiers dealt mostly in technology smuggling, casino gambling, body-guarding and other seemingly clean-faced but undoubtedly illicit activities.

On the other end of the spectrum (but no less infamous), was the ancient and brutal Krogan Warlord; Ganar Wrang. Head of the Blood Pack mercenary outfit - a savage, brutish protection racket and bunch of unsavoury brigands; who'd sooner kill you for the Creeper lint in your pockets than look at you. They were at the heart of the Terminus' drug running operations, cutting in from the very source. They used Vorcha laborers to mine and cultivate the chemicals from the crusts of nearly dead worlds; raw substance needed to create compounds like Videlicet speed, the potent pill-form LSD called Hallex. Melange spice and, of course, Red Sand.

Scorched earth warfare was the territory of the Batarian and Vorcha gangs subservient to Wrang and his three Krogan under-bosses: Salamul, Kalusk and Garm. There were slavers, pornographic industrialists, even some powerful Terran syndicate's like the Italian Mafia and the Yakuza.

"Our operations have been severely hampered over the past two years..." Del'Serah continued, chewing on every word before spitting it out with as much venom as he could muster. "The Spectres have been making a _mockery_ of us! Cops and lawyers intrude on a local level when before they wouldn't _dare_ - cross any of us!"

His speech earned much table-thumping and supportive caterwauling.

"So... What are _we_ going to do about it?" Asked a small-timing Nairobi under-boss. The Batarian crime lord smiled evilly in response.

"Well it's simple. We -_ kill_ - Aran Shepard."

His growled statement didn't earn him the applause he'd expected. Instead - most assembled began to murmur disconsolately and otherwise piss on his parade.

"If it's so_ simple_," Helena Blake said with deadpan derision. "Why haven't _you_ done it already?"

Del'Serah was about to snap out a retort on why the Suns did nothing well for free - when footsteps began to echo up the corridor beyond where their guards were stationed. They'd been told not to disturb the meeting!

Muttering obscenities, Solem's right-hand man, General Tarak pulled himself up, marched the length of the conference table, seized both handles of the double doors and threw them wide. "What - the - HELL are you _idiots_, doi - " His tirade sputtered out as if something had crawled down his throat and died. Though the sound he issued eventually transformed from a caterwauling 'glug-hurgh!' Into a high-pitched shriek.

The two sentries fell inwards, crumbling into nothingness and coating Tarak with organic ash. Who though a hardened killer; had never witnessed the like before. He reacted appropriately, flailing and screaming like a toddler on a sugar rush tantrum.

Everyone else leapt to their feet in a pathetic approximation of organized panic - but they were soon interrupted.

"Gentlemen!"

A powerful and ferocious voice cut through the hubbub and all eyes turned to a figure who walked out of the shadows. A figure whose untimely demise they had just been discussing.

"It's her!" Shrieked Pip'Mendoza, a recently scuppered Quarian pirate captain, he tried to run but tripped over his own feet. As did a few others in their haste. Everyone else stayed as still as possible while the rest restrained their more enthusiastic colleagues from either fighting or fleeing.

Aran strode forwards with every surety, her posture and presence parting the sea of criminal retainers before her. Del'Serah had vacated his position at the head of the long rectangular desk to put the piece of bolted down furniture firmly between him and the Hunter. Sam reached the high-backed chair, scanning her captive audience; none of whom would dare meet her gaze - not even the sociopathic Sederis; who instead shot glances infused with a mixture of hate and hunger while the Special Forces Legend focused on the opposite side of the table.

'THUNK!' Solem's upholstery hit the floor as Aran casually swept it aside and hopped onto the table as neat as you please, sitting cross-legged with forearms resting on her knees. The criminals flinched at her every sudden action.

"So this is it, huh?" She said quietly, but everyone present heard. "The rebellious outcasts of _civilized_ society... Nice meeting spot. Not sure about the re-sale value though..."

"What do you want here, _Spectre_?" Blake posited bluntly. "We haven't seen hide nor hair of you for nearly _a year_."

"I'm still on the hunt for Saren Arterius. Now that I've found him. All of you - are going to help me." This elicited brays of nervous fear from most. Not even a wet-behind the ears Samus would have mistaken it for jeering laughter.

"And what makes you so sure, doll-face?" A handsome, (comparatively for his species) thick-set Batarian stood to face her. He blanched as a hand snapped around his throat; encircling it whole.

For Aran's equally polite retort was to crumble his third and fourth vertebrae apart as easily as you or I would pluck a ripe berry off its stem. He was dead in less than a second for his impertinence. Everyone near his now twisted corpse recoiled in horror.

"Because I have the power to slay you _all_ with impunity." Aran dusted her collar with idle panache, then she stood and proceeded to walk down the table, trampling papers. After ensuring no-one else would be jumping up from their seats, Sam returned to her spot at the head and sat down with the absurd grace for which she was famous for.

"Finished, Shepard?" Blake sneered.

"For now. Back to the matter at hand. I need access to the Hoc System, Virmire is contested territory for all of you and my people are about to pull off a large-scale operation that's going to heat up this cold war. I want access to one of your secret FTL trail junctions and the fuel pods along them."

"How much cred are you offering for this one time pass?" Another under-boss spoke up.

"Fifty."

"Billion?"

"Fifty."

With some effort, the group laughed in death's face. Aran was insulting them deliberately for as they all knew. It was just because she could.

"You're crazy."

"I prefer to think of it as - _intellectually unique_. Unique enough to make, seemingly deranged demands to those of a more close-minded disposition. Be thankful you people still have uses to me..."

Most present considered Aran's statement a good answer. Yet there were always _some_ who'd never learned basic survival skills...

"Who the_ hell_ do you think you are?!" Spat Anto Korrigan, Aria's Batarian representative at the summit. Samus peered at him kindly, as if he were a particularly trying nephew. "Do you think you can just _come here_?! Encroach on_ our dealings_?! Steal _swathes_ of our territory and just... What?! _Walk away?!_"

Aran buffed her nails then peered at them in disinterest. "Yeah."

Multiple parties rose from their seats, shouting insults.

"Enough of this bull-"

"Only one-"

"Get her!"

"Ah-ah-ah." Aran tutted happily as multiple laser sights danced from a shoulder-mounted gizmo she revealed from under her coat. It looked like a miniature artillery battery. "Let's not - _Shoot_ our mouths off here." Dozens of blue pointer dots settled on every vital organ within the room, forcing an uneasy calm to settle once more.

"As I was saying before I was so, _rudely_ interrupted. You _will_ give my people access to the hidden FTL trails and the fuel station oasis's past the Alpha Centauri relay and in return - I will lay off the East star clusters for... One year."

"Make it the East and the North - "

"Keep this up and I will be on you from _all_ sides: north, south, east _and_ west. This is merely _a courtesy_, not a negotiation."

"Looks like we don't have much choice, do we?"

"... No."

* * *

><p>"And <em>that's<em>, how you dealt with those criminal types." Williams assured her Commander over their drinks.

"I don't know... That seems crazy, even for _me_," chortled Aran. "Sorry to disappoint, but I just had to consign them an email with my Spectre seal stamped on it - and they gave into my demands near immediately."

"They _capitulated_, eh?"

"Fancy word, Chief."

"When you've read as widely as I have, you pick up a lot of specialist terms."

"I'll bet. So, Ash. Tell me something."

"Mhm?" Williams replied from behind a swig of her alcoholic beverage.

"Why are you a practicing Christian? In this day and age, I mean."

Williams didn't even have to consider the answer.

"It's how me and my sisters were raised. The good book, Sunday sermons."

"Yes, but religion _really_ took a back seat after the discovery of the Mars ruins, let alone First Contact. All the denominations and sects had to re-evaluate their places, their doctrines."

"Ah, but that's what's made it all the more _important_. Religion can always keep track of an expanding world. Faith isn't seen as an _enlightened quality _in the Galaxy because of all the cults running around; those zealots give us honest, moderate church-goers a bad name!" She joked. Then after a short pause.

"You don't believe in _God_, do you, Samus?"

"I - _respond to_ the power of belief."

"Which is a nice way of saying you respect the motivation it gives us working-class soldier gals and boys but you believe it's an inherently childish facet of the sentient races. One we should have - _outgrown_."

"Not at all. It may have escaped your notice but I'm an _intensely_ spiritual person."

"And I'm gonna' be the Alliance's next Poet Laurette."

"Huh, laugh it up, Ash. But the Chozo instilled some mystic awe in this _cynical_ mind of mine."

"Ah, but that's not even _fair_! From what you've told and shown us their faith was founded on_ rationalist principles_. Things they could quantify with science and even politics."

"Yep, my religion is the best. And perfection is an ever-moving target!"

"You're an _ass_, Skipper."

"You know you love me."

"Yeah, _I love you_, Skipper. Like the big sister _I_ never had."

"And you _hate_ me like the big sister you never had." Aran grinned.

"Right in one." Ash sobered after a moment. "I often, well, no. _This_ often percolates into my brain... When do you get to live with ourselves?"

"Pardon?"

"With what we've done..."

"... That's - a hard one, Chief. But it's not what we've _done_. It's what we've _yet_ to do that informs our lives."

"_You_ can say that. You've lived longer than any of us and yet you haven't given up on the little things. You are an inspiration, whether you recognise it or not."

"I do. But I think it has always been for the _wrong reasons_. As far as I'm aware, I've only lived _one_ life, Ash. Nothing is stationary, one can only strive to be the best of themselves. It's what _led_ me here. We can_ re-invent_ ourselves throughout our time. In the time that's given to us."

"By _who _then? God? Damn, listen to _me_ going on about existentialism when even you don't have any definitive answers."

"Ahhh... but those are the best kinds."

"Alright, alright, Miss Gautama! What about regrets? You're old enough to have some of _those_."

"Regrets... Don't we all. I could give you some hootenanny about them inspiring you to be a better person and all that; however..."

"Yes?"

"... I killed a child."

The once warm air between the two comrades-in-arms froze to sub-zero temperatures around them.

"Oh." Ash said, unable to really respond to the bombshell.

"With my own hands."

"Why?" She finally brought herself to say.

"She _wanted_ me to."

"Oh, Sam..." Williams shook her head in sorrow and pity, but for who, she couldn't discern.

"I tell myself, she was _braver_ than me. Her family had been butchered within the span of a few minutes. She _desired_ to be with them. While I pushed the - _images_ of what happened to my dam and my sire so far into the dark recesses of my memory that I never would have confronted what I consider to now be one of my greatest strengths. She may have been a couple of years older than me but she was so _certain _that I almost _still_ desire her strength to this day. Only fools believe it a coward's way out."

"You could have taken her away. Trained her - as your foster family did for you."

"I offered... She refused."

"But you've doubted that same decision, your _entire_ life, haven't you?"

"Yes. Yes, I have. And it's for that _reason_ that I can _continue_ and am _morally able_ to make choices of that magnitude. They should never come easily. _Never_. Because of my station; I _am_ the only absolutist form of authority you can _safely rest_ _your_ _faith in _- because I reward you with my own reasoned trust, with indefatigable logic. You trust me with your life and the lives of your fellows because we – are – _soldiers_."

But you _aren't God_, Skipper... You're not even _a_ god.

No, I'm not. And I'd have no _wish_ to be. Life, can never be truly _fair_, or _just_, or _true_. In the end, these are decrepit words that we simply_ subscribe_ to. They are - _unfitting_ for people like us, Ash. People of _calculated_ action. What am I instead do you say? _Who_, according to your holy text, gave us freedom of thought. Freedom of want? Of fear? What else do you _think_ I'm above?

You, y_ou've always_ thought that you're _beyond_ becoming a devil, Sam. You always have, always will."

"I _am_ – _the Devil_. Out in the black I was _revered_ as _the Raging Devil_. And as I lived. I - _freed_ people - in my own way..." Samus sighed, mulling over the dregs of her glass as if they contained the answer to life, the Universe and everything. "In truth, Ash. Or as far as I see it; _if_ you'd like to hear after all my Bible bashing."

"Are you _deranged_, Skipper?_ Of cours_e I do!"

"We aren't what we _do_ alone. We aren't even what we _intend_ and _think_ alone in our own minds. And we most certainly aren't _a union_ of the two."

"Then what then?"

"We _are_ what we do _for_ _the one's we love_."

* * *

><p>"Hah!" It took her<em> that long<em> to work that out?!" Tali leaned on Ashley's shoulder as she cried tears of mirth, hugging the soldier around the waist. Aran grumbled as she marched by the pair and up the SR-1's cargo ramp, already regretting opening up to the Gunnery-Chief. As well as cursing unselfish Quarian national socialist upbringings!

_"Probably her and Wrex's idea of a bet." _She snarled inwardly, already relishing what kind of demeaning duty she could relegate them to, before settling on them plying off the large collection of space spore molluscs that often stuck to Normandy's hull.

She favoured the crew with a salute of her own as they stopped organizing supplies to snap their heels together and bring their left hands to their temples. The ship's cat leapt to Aran's forearm to jump and settle on her shoulder as she walked over to relay her orders to Garrus, then she allowed the young animal to hop down and retired to her quarters to meditate. While she lucid dreamed alone inside her personally built gyro sphere. Wrex chimed the door bell and was let inside by the resident Dr. T'Soni.

"Hey, Liara." The son of Clan Urdnot greeted amicably. Everyone on the ship knew he nursed a soft-spot for the burgeoning young Asari scientist. He also knew Aran would feed him both sets if he ever dared make a move on his Warlord's partner. Perhaps if he just made _a few_ hinting remarks they would speed up and consummate their relationship already... Sometimes he even wondered what_ the Commander_ would be like in the sack; then he reflected he was probably better off not being the subservient member in a relationship. That would never be the fate of Uncle Urdnot! Not that he believed for one second that Liara would ever be that either - she had a hidden fire in her; that one.

"Wrex," Liara smiled. "It's good to see you. I'm afraid Samus is indisposed at the moment."

"Not a problem, sweetheart. I wanted to speak to you, anyway."

"Okay. Join me in the lab."

"Lab?"

"Oh, yes. You don't want her to eavesdrop on us, do you?"

"She can_ hear_ us?" Wrex asked, pointing at a snoozing Aran, rolled up into a tiny ball, swathed in a electro-static proof blanket and suspended in a cool turquoise mass effect field. The Hunter winked at him as she rotated around. Eyes glowing with a myriad of colours as they had at the temple on Turvess.

"Most definitely," Liara jibed, "it _is_ rather disconcerting, isn't it?"

"To go to sleep next to someone who_ never_ sleeps? No, how could that be unsettling?"

"You _could_ look at it that way, I suppose, Wrex." Liara replied endearingly as she showed him to the hidden lab nestled in the ship's infrastructure. "But I think it's also rather comforting. To know that someone is watching over you when you're at your most vulnerable."

"She certainly didn't leave your side for long after Sovereign. Wouldn't eat or drink either."

"Is that seen as weakness to the Krogan?"

"To some. But she cares for us _all_ in her own odd way. Sometimes it makes me wonder... If she _knew_ we would join up with her all a long. Whether she scouted us out as much as Kryik did her..."

"And that would bother you, if she had?"

"Perhaps..."

"Why are you here, Wrex?"

"Can't just air some concerns to a friend, can I? Alright, I want to know what kind of Intel we got from that doo-dad she picked up from the feather brains." He rumbled in a way that he hoped would be construed that he wouldn't take no for an answer, and not in a way that would rouse Aran's ire from next-door.

To his surprise Liara nodded with bright cheer and showed him over to a veritable collection of post-its and photos joined by elastic bands. Scribbles and sketches and thought bubbles were drawn all over the mind-map and at it's centre was a vastly detailed graphite drawing of the external _and internal_ workings of a Mass Relay.

"Vaul's balls..." Wrex said in a hushed tone. "They actually went and did it..."

"Yes, they got to the heart of the matter. Do you want a read-out of the technical specs?"

"I'm a smart man, Liara. But I'm not _that_ smart."

"You're doing yourself a disservice."

"No I'm not. If I was _smart_, I'd ask your _girlfriend_ why she hasn't done something about the goddamn Genophage yet." He growled from between gritted molars.

Liara considered the dangerous statement for a second before saying quietly. "... It's not her main priority at the moment."

Wrex chuckled darkly and advanced on the Maiden, looming over her. "So, she whispers _all_ her plans to you does she?"

"Not exactly," Liara shrank back until her hips collided with a low table. But the Krogan now leant down to invade her personal space.

"And why _wouldn't _she, _exactly_?" Wrex made the decided effort to try and speak much softer yet it did nothing in the slightest to make him sound more comforting or at ease. "She can have _children_ with one of _your kind_ if she _wants to_. Hell, she's probably been thinking about it all the while we've been on this odyssey of ours. What, did she fill _my_ head with dreams of my species' future just to keep me pliant? Us dumb brutes probably don't care for raising spawn, do we?! Even if over three quarters of our clutches _birth still-borns_!"

"Wrex, you're _scaring_ me..."

"_Good_. Because I -"

A deep Contralto cut across what he was about to stay. Stopping him in his tracks.

"You want to leave this room." Aran enunciated every syllable with a fatal warning behind them; standing at the top of the stairs; framing in the doorway.

Wrex turned his gaze from the quailing girl and fixed Samus with a baleful crimson eye. "You're _damn right_ I do." He spat, bashing Aran's shoulder in his path aside as he thundered past and stomped loudly from her cabin.

A lesser officer would have struck back for such insubordination. But Aran was not so easily rattled. She stood disconsolately, before moving to comfort Liara.

_"This can't end well." _She mused as she made circles on her future bond-mate's back.

* * *

><p>"Marines." Aran announced as she walked into the steaming uni-sex showers wearing nothing but her dog-tags. Much as her reinforcements from Rio were. Most were children fresh from the Villa and Titan; accompanied by their first missions under-fire. Lads under twenty five who thought their various N designations from 5 up to the fabled 7 made them invincible. Out of the twenty one elite soldiers - only four were women.<p>

"I asked for back-up worthy of a Spectre. Many of you here_ think_ you know what war is. You're _wrong_." She dominated the stage, gesturing strongly in time with her words. Most present seemed to be sincerely listening.

"Anywhere else, you'd be _exceptiona_l. _Here_, you sorry excuses for professionals are_ raw meat_." She paused for emphasis and immediately noted the two boys who would be a problem. They'd probably be the first to die, even with the lesson they would receive from her Hand.

"Follow every order you're issued and you _might_ - come out on the other side. But none of you will come _clean_. Saren might not know_ when_ we're coming for him. But he knows we _are_. He's entrenched. He has more firepower, more information grid coverage. He has at least _a_ _hundred times_ our numbers. And tonight we will send him on the path to defeat, _desolation_ AND _DESPAIR!_"

"OORAH!"

"Now wipe yourselves dry, kiddos! We're prepping for HALO dives in_ three minutes!_"

Aran was ready in less than a quarter of that time. Adjusting her pistols, thermal clip bandoleers, grenade dispenser, omni tools, primary weaponry and the new octo-camo modules to turn her Crysis armour and aquatic harness wrap a deep navy camouflage. Along with a complete black-out of indicator lights. Her soldiers wore similar sea-warfare gear. Vakarian, Williams and Alenko would lead the three, seven manned squads while Samus met up with an old friend for her part of the mission. Jamie, Tali, Wrex and Liara would follow in the Mako once the first stage of the Op was complete.

"LINE UP! MAGGOTS!" Sam roared from under her pressurized helm, she knew that such abusive language was actually welcomed and was par for the course with Earth military's. Garrus seemed bemused that such behaviour was necessary, but that hadn't stopped him from his own little - _inspiring monologue_.

He'd slammed one of the potential troublemaker's up against the wall... After whispering something in the other's ear that had made him whimper his compliance.

"Hey! What the _hell_, kitty-bird?!"

"You like what you saw in there, _soldier_?"

"... _Yeah_, wish all my commanding officers were that, _open_. Heh, heh, heh, *hack!* *Arck!*"

Garrus constricted his air-way with little physical effort behind his insistently punishing forearm. "This is the 22nd Century, soldier. There's no _place_, for sexual politics. She is someone to be beholden in _awe _of, not _lusted after_. Oh, there's no doubt that she's beautiful,_ beyond beautiful_. But for my part? It would be _morally wrong_ to find her sexually stimulating. She is like _a mother_ to me – and my mentor... One that is _far_ beyond _any_ of our base desires. You look at her like that again. I take your eyes. You'll be serving under me for the duration of this little field trip. _Understood?_"

He released the boy trooper, who gasped and choked before wheezing: "of course, _sir_... but I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of _serving_ under you."

"Let's hope your aiming isn't as awful as your wit, lieutenant...?"

"Vasquez," he coughed. "Ramirez Vasquez, pendejo!"

_"Commander. We've entered Virmire's atmosphere and are twenty miles from the Nuvese Archipelago, ETA one minute."_ Joker informed over the intercom.

Aran banged her gauntlet against the bulkhead, gaining the attention of her troops. "You heard the helmsman, cub scouts! Each team to a guidance submersible. You know what you have to do!"

The Normandy's cargo ramp slowly eased downwards, whipping in the cold night air as the teams readied themselves for the drop. A few rays of bittersweet light swept the cloud carpet beneath them. It was a perfect night.

"Dusk." Samus announced. "Synchronize your time-pieces, ladies and gents!" They all fiddled with their diving watches. "We are about to pull this off without a hitch! HAPPY LANDINGS!"

The N7's, led by her three captains, rushed forward in staggered formation, pushing the diving capsules between them. They disappeared into the sky.

_"Your trajectory is clear, Commander."_ Joker transmitted. _"Take that bastard down for good this time, Sam!"_

Aran activated the CNT-current that sealed her hard armour to her muscular system and booted up the on-board computers while walking to the lip of the ramp.

"I intend to, Jeff. Watch the skies for the Leviathan."

_"Aye, aye!"_

Aran tipped over the edge and plummeted into space.

She hurtled down like a spear, reaching terminal velocity before pulling up into a skydiver's spreadeagled free-fall. Out of the peripheral internal cameras mounted in her visor, she could see the tandem formation disappear over the misty islands. Their ME envelope parachutes would allow them to slip under Geth radar and deal with the perimeter outposts. Aran had some GARDIAN towers to take off-line, in order for Normandy to land; she would also be responsible for scouting out and locating the Salarian reconnaissance ground forces that had been trapped near the massive compound for weeks; then she would subsequently relay that information to her troops.

The Hunter was heading straight for water mined territory. She slowed her descent with several gymnastic aerial tumbles along with her biotics, then slipped underneath the waves; using an unusual moth stroke, she scanned the flightpath of her fall from her HUD, to make sure she'd been on target; before gliding through the ocean with only her mind over matter propelling her.

It wasn't the Geth limpets and security drones that were Saren's greatest defence against unwelcome guests though. It was_ the school_ of Megalodon analogues that swept through the seas when the star of Hoc went down...

Calmly, Aran drifted through the pack of Brobdingnagian beasts. At one point she could not quite resist reaching out and trailing her fingers along the underbelly of one of the titans of the deep. Who all, thankfully, ignored the creature a tenth of their length and a fiftieth of the girth. For a quick moment, Aran wondered if the Reapers could mentally influence these apex predators to unconditional violence... Either way, Sovereign - and it's connection to it's masters was not even on this side of the planet to test her theory; thank the resting Turned. And Samus weaved among them until she reached a cave entrance leading to the grotto maze that criss-crossed underneath the river beaches splitting the great isles.

Now the only fauna were harmless pod crabs skittering along the glowing coral tunnels, feeding on sea weed and placidly ignoring the Hunter as she cruised along.

Eventually, the Special Recon and Tactics Agent surfaced into the forested cacophony of a white-sand mangrove swamp, the calls of the night covering the sounds of her infiltration. Her octo-camo also keeping her hidden from thermal or even mundane sensors.

Aran drew her assault rifle and stalked through the woods, sometimes having to stop and remain still when Geth swarm mechs scanned their surroundings, but her own VI combat sensors forewarned her of their patrols long before they could come within range of detecting her.

Samus used the trees, crawled beneath the water-logged sand and low streams, even scaled the sheer cliffs of the towering landmasses to navigate her beloved chaos in all its glory. _This_ was what she lived for. That balancing on a knife's edge. The _thrill _of slipping past the enemy and the _joy_ of closing in battle. She checked the timer on her HUD, they had to pull off all the operations simultaneously if they wanted to take Arterius by surprise. And she knew how to hopefully deal with his damn flagship as well...

_"Shepard." _

A voice spoke as she skirted a clearing. Or it would have, but it was a fleeting signal cry of the constructed language she and her compatriot had developed together and agreed to employ on this mission beforehand.

_"Hello, old friend."_ She replied to a particularly large pod crab, which tipped back to reveal a familiar Krogan clad in Berserker heavy armour and toting several artillery-class weapons in insulated sheaths on his hump back. It was Nakmor Gabrilan. He'd been using his omni tool's neural shock programme to control the wildlife as literal physical cover.

The two war buddies clasped each other's wrists for a split-second, then rushed further into the trees; heading for their nearby objective.

* * *

><p>"That place is just <em>crawling<em> with flash-light heads..." Gabrilan chewed thoughtfully on his scattered viewings of the valley protected gatehouse two kilometers away.

"You take the hundred on the right, I'll take the hundred on the left?" Aran joked, also peeking over their vantage point of the heavily defended depot.

"Heh, _maybe_. We've got to be quick though."

"_Quick_, huh...?" Aran stroked her chin. "Well I have an idea... that just might work..."

"We're _not_ using those prototype _supposedly silent_ sonic charges of yours to collapse the ravines on either side _on top of them_. As expedient as it would be. We'd draw the fire of every Geth Colossus on these islands."

"Damn. Well, how about..."

* * *

><p>"That - was. <em>Insane<em>. You certainly haven't lost your touch, Shepard."

"Well," Sam scuffed some sand from both pauldrons. "I did get a_ little_ worried when that armature stepped on me. But... You know the rest!"

"Damn straight! I'll be telling my grand kiddies our battle stories!"

Aran slapped him on the back. Not willing to ruin the happy moment by pointing out that he wasn't very likely to ever _meet_ said future progeny.

"How long until their position is triangulated?" She asked him as they moved up into the heavily forested gullies again.

"Two minutes, tops. They had a lot of data secreted away regarding the Salarian's possible movement range. I hope Valern got you the right transmission codes."

"Nope. Bau dug them up for me." She replied as they clambered up the narrow, moss-slick waterfall crevices. All the guidance systems for any other ground to orbit cannons had been dealt with from the Command Centre they'd just hit with blitzkrieg tactics. Geth neural hubs were rather limited that way. Aran checked the countdown. Jeff would be flying in low to air drop their heavy support any minute now...

She reached the canopy and managed to surmount the twelve foot high ravine before lying on her stomach and reaching down to help Gabrilan clamber up and over.

"I'm getting too old for this _shit_." He clapped her on the shoulder, out of breath as she pulled him upright.

"You and me both, pal."

They cleared the plateau for possible enemy sightings, then settled against an ancient, immensely thick palm-tree to sort out their encoded transmission.

"Binary is out of the question, huh?" Gabrilan wondered out loud.

"So is Morse." She informed him regretfully. "We have to be, inventive."

"Not smoke signals I hope..."

"Heh, no. They don't need to completely understand what we're saying to understand we're friendlies. Just that it's something our mechanical friends can't emulate."

Gabrilan set up the advanced radio equipment for a stealth burst signal and Aran used her omni tool's own anti-spyware programme to diminish the chances of interception.

"Kirrahe's a sharp one. He'll understand." Aran accepted the tiny ear-bud from her Krogan comrade, tuned through the frequencies and began to recite both an STG and Alliance flash code in a rare Lystheni dialect. The reviled, four-armed amphibian off-shoots held an especially secretive place in the Intelligence Community. Though the Dalatrasses were left uninformed and most of the outcasts preferred to work as muscle for the Terminus clans. Their 'mutations' unfit to be bred into the complex politic dynasties the Salarians favoured. As such; the secrets of their language were nearly lost. Samus cherished such knowledge that Liara had shared with her in turn.

When the signal range had been narrowed down to a sheltered lake-side inlet far too close to the main facility for the Hunter's liking. They received an extensive encoded reply that took both of the Spectres a few minutes of wrangling to eventually decrypt.

"They've been ghosting your other teams... Clever bastards." Gabrilan muttered appreciatively.

"I'd be disappointed if they hadn't picked up on my little auxiliary force. They've survived this long out here without any backup at all; spying is their trade."

"Yeah, colour me impressed... Coordinates are confirmed."

"Then let's get going. We're still on track."

* * *

><p>Morning had long broken when Aran and Gabrilan made themselves clearly visible to the STG scouts that came to verify their status. Aran was dismayed to find how few there were. Less than twenty men remained now of an entire company; that only a few weeks ago had been eighty strong.<p>

The Normandy pitched in low and with an immaculately controlled slow swerve, landed on a nearby reef covered by a low tide surf, the M35 and the rest of Sam's squaddies drove up and clear of a wide valley stream to park near the beach camp the Salarians had set up. Vakarian and T'Soni waved at them from a distance and most of Aran's N7's rushed over to secure the frigate's perimeter.

"Help my men bring out our welcoming present, Gabe." She imparted quietly. Her Krogan friend nodded an affirmative while Samus marched over to where Alenko and Williams were speaking to the Salarian in charge of the decimated force.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Ash demanded in evident aggravation.

"Stay put until we can come up with a plan," the many-hued green Salarian replied dismissively. He was of a stockier build and taller than most of his men but he was still a waif compared to the heavy-hitters under Aran's command.

She closed the distance, flanked by Kaidan, Ash, Jamie and Vasquez. Removed her helmet to place under her arm and made the sign of the Legion.

"Commander Shepard, SA mandated, Special tactics and Recon. You must be Captain Kirrahe, of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment, STG."

Kirrahe returned her salute. "I am. Forgive me, Commander. But you and your crew have just landed in a hot-zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."

Aran favoured him with one of her patented half feral smiles. The only facial cue she often allowed herself.

"It pains me to update one of your Sit-reps, Captain, considering Salarian reputation. But every defence installation between here and the open sea has been deactivated, their scuppered armaments are transmitting false-positive security standbys around the clock." She gestured over to Tali, who was even now helping some of Kirrahe's men with their fizzling communications relay. "By the time we complete our mission here, we'll _all_ be heading home before those signals can even _hope_ to be deciphered for what they truly are."

Kirrahe regarded her with fresh wonder. "... I don't impress easily, Commander. A small force your size has paved the way most admirably for a silent pre-emptive attack. All we have to do now then is settle in and wait for _the rest_ of the reinforcements we requested."

Aran was brought to silence at his hopeful exclamation. Kaidan stepped up in her place.

"We _are_ the reinforcements." It was to his credit that he didn't make his statement sound like an empty boast. Not that this settled Kirrahe.

"_What?_" He spluttered, voice raspy, to say that he sounded quite miffed would be an understatement. You're _all_ they sent? I told the Council to send _a fleet_."

Samus gestured for her men to busy themselves stockpiling and maintaining their personal arms and nodded to Kirrahe's tent. The dismayed Salarian abided by her suggestion, they sat down across a table from each other on benches inside and the Captain offered her refreshment from their remaining stores. Aran insisted on handing over her own canteen of moonshine in thanks. The fact that it made the metabolically hyper-active alien cough and his eyes water heightened his regard even further. Sam settled her forearms on the table, hands resting casually after removing all of her weapons.

"Wish I'd had some of this several weeks ago." He raised the flask in thanks, Sam nodded understandingly.

"I'm afraid I'm all you've got, Captain. The Council gave me a garbled transmission to go off. They asked me to investigate b-"

"That is a_ repetition_ of our task. I lost over _half_ my men _investigating_ this place."

"You have my condolences for that... You weren't adequately prepared for what you'd find here. But I am."

Kirrahe fixed her with a beady eye. "You're quite _sure_ of that, Commander?"

"More than anyone living."

"... He has an _army_, Shepard. With your men we're _nearly_ fifty strong."

"A Citadel Fleet in this region of the Terminus would have drawn the ire of every runner and syndicate in the area. And alerted Saren to our presence."

"Please, Commander. Those bickering - _tribes_ are too busy killing _each other_ to deal with a solitary Super Carrier or Dreadnought Formation."

"Kirrahe... The Union has spent _too long_ dallying in the Asari Republics, monitoring the Krogan DMZ and watching over border wars within Turian territory. We Spectres have a healthy respect for the guiding fist in this quadrant."

"Who on Sur'Kesh could _control_ this empty mess?"

"_Aria T'Loak_." Aran growled.

"The _Pirate_ Queen...?"

"No, no,_ no_. She's _far_ more than a _mere brigand_, Captain. Open your eyes,_ whose_ palms do you think I had to grease just to bypass the Sentry-674 Relay?"

"This _singular_ woman?"

"Her _organization_. And the PMC's that flock around her. Power in this Galaxy stems from connections and _Eezo_, Captain. _Conservative_ estimates calculate that she possesses a greater mining and refinery operation than the Alliance, the Hierarchy, the Union and the Hegemony _combined_."

"Impossible. Omega was mined out!"

"The Matriarchs control the monopoly on our _fuel_, Captain. I even heard a rumour that T'Loak and Tevos are in bed together... "

"Literally?"

"Oh yes."

Kirrahe whistled lowly; contemplating the bombshells Sam had dropped on him.

"That would explain a lot," he wondered out loud, taking another swig that burned down his throat. After a moment he spoke again, strength renewed.

"Let me assemble some of my men. We need to discuss the larger problem at stake here other than the lack of orbital fire-support. _Saren_."

"He's here? Have you _seen_ him?" Aran asked eagerly as they both stood.

"Not in person, no. But we _did_ intercept some comms referring to Saren. This _is_ his facility, Commander. I'm not mistaken about_ that_."

"Forgive me, Captain. I didn't mean to imply your unit was inept. You've stayed out of Arterius' clutches all this time. It's just -"

"It was those damn politicians that sent us in blind. It's not your fault, Shepard. They may not have sent me a battle-group. But If your reputation is as well-earned as I've been led to believe; and even half the stories about your exploits are true... I think they may have sent me the next best thing..."

Aran was liking Kirrahe more and more every second.

Garrus, Kaidan, Ash, Jamie, Liara and Samus all gathered on the beach with Kirrahe, his second in command, Rentola. And Corporals Iziz, Vaklu, Duxn and Tobin. Once the introductions were out of the way, they got down to brass tacks.

"So, what have you guys found?" Kaidan opened the dialogue options.

"Saren's base of operations." The Salarian Captain told them. "He's set up a research facility here. It's crawling with Geth and _very_ well fortified."

"With what?" Garrus asked, leaning on the stock and barrel of his rifle like it was a planted spade.

"Hex shields, armatures, every type of Geth platform you can imagine, sentry drones... And Krogan." He looked pointedly at Gabrilan and Wrex, who were keeping their distance from each other as befitting their territorial urges. The Spectre was still dealing with the Normandy crew's ordnance and transporting mission-sensitive materials down the gang-plank but Wrex began to wonder over as he spied Kirrahe eying him up.

"Nothing we haven't dealt with before," Andrews assured the Salarian Captain confidently.

"What is Saren researching?" Liara said to Kirrahe.

"From what we've gathered..." He swept his omni tool and numerous holo pictures and surveillance logs were conjured up, the shade provided by the wide tupik above them stopped the sunlight from washing them out. "He's using the facility to breed an army of Krogan..."

"How is that possible?" Wrex interjected ominously.

Kirrahe paused, unhappy at being confronted with a possible hindrance. He switched his view to Aran, who remained silent, but indicated that he should continue with her permission.

"Apparently, Saren has discovered _a cure_ for the Genophage."

He waited for the information to sink in for all present but Ash couldn't resist opening her mouth: "the Geth are bad enough. But a sizable Krogan infantry force... He'd be almost unstoppable." The Salarians murmured their agreement, Aran seemingly ignored them, perusing more of the captured data, frowning. Garrus and Liara had the grace to look uncomfortable for their ally's feelings. And Wrex shot his crew-mate a poisonous glare.

"_Exactly_ my thoughts," Kirrahe concurred with Ash. "We must ensure that this complex and its secrets are _completely_ destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Rumbled Wrex, shaking his massive head as if flies were bothering him. "I don't _think_ so. Our people are _dying_. This _cure_, can _save_ them."

"If that cure leaves this planet the Krogan will become _unstoppable_," Kirrahe reminded him bluntly. "My people have been down this road_ before_. We _can't_ make the same mistake again."

Wrex plodded forward, outwardly calm. Sam warned off the others by her will alone, watching him intently. Kirrahe leaned back as Wrex pointed a titanic finger in his face and brought himself to thunder lowly.

"We are _not_ a mistake." He uttered with equal parts of rage and shame. Before turning his hunched back on them to walk down the beach away from the small gathering. At the moment he'd spoken, thunder rolled across the sea. An indigo lightning storm beginning to dance on the horizon. The coincidence would have been funny to anyone not immediately present at the time.

Kirrahe broke the stilted silence. "Is he going to be _a problem_? We already have _enough_ angry Krogan to deal with."

"He'll be fine." Aran spoke at last. "I'll talk to him."

"I'd appreciate that, Commander. My men need to re-think our plan of attack - could you give us some time?"

"Go ahead, Captain. I won't be long. You take care of the overhead and the strategy, I'll deal with the troops and equipment."

As Kirrahe and his cohorts laid out their mapping charts, Aran turned to her friends.

"Looks like things are a bit of a mess..." Was Kaidan's astute input as he crossed his arms airily.

Garrus snorted but Ash agreed. "Yeah. I wouldn't be worried if it wasn't for _Wrex_. It looks like he's gonna' blow a gasket..."

"We should go talk to him," Liara insisted.

"Maybe," Williams ground her teeth lightly over one another in mock perplexity. "It certainly couldn't hurt... Well, it _might_, actually."

"No-one will speak to him but me." Aran averred.

"Be careful, Commander." Jamie worried but Samus simply cupped the young soldier on the back of the neck and made to follow after Wrex, unarmed but for her tech and biotics.

Liara, Jamie and Kaidan began to go after their Commander at a suitable distance, while Vakarian glanced at Williams and a silent request passed between the two of them.

"Be ready." He told her, kicking up his sharps.

"I'm _always_ ready." She replied, moving for the tent where the Commander had placed her things...

Samus closed with Wrex at a leisurely and sedate pace. She observed Gabrilan giving her the 'A-Okay' from across the large body of water, she'd kept her sub-dermals open so he could listen in on the conversation with Kirrahe and he seemed to not have a care in the world about the ramifications of their mission.

As Aran's boots imprinted into the sand, she saw Wrex had unhooked the Spectre classified smooth-bore she had gifted to him when he'd come aboard and, holding it in one hand, begun to open fire periodically over the lake. It's booming retort echoing across the area every ten seconds or so.

The walk took little under a minute, Wrex stood near the perimeter wall of Saren's base, a permacrete construction seventy feet high, braced by Geth mooring struts spiked into the uneven ground, a tiny grated sluice trickled some dark green foul liquid from the labs and breeding grounds into the crystal clear waters below.

Aran focused her vision to the right and as Wrex raised his shotgun again, she saw he _was_ in fact firing at something, a distant tiny mass of paddling tadpole cognates native to Virmire that skipped across the surface in whatever kind of egg-spawn mass that rolled in the swamps all around them. His fourth cone of shot skated over the water, macerating the tiny frog creatures that stood in their path. Samus swallowed and stopped no closer than four metres from the hulking alien when he began to speak.

"This _isn't right_, Shepard. If there's a cure for the Genophage, _we_ _can't destroy it_."

"_Easy_, Wrex. I _understand_ you're upset. Whatever has_ changed_ between us since Noveria, I _need_ you to talk to me. This has to be dealt with _right_ - _no_w."

"Yes, by Kruban. This _does_ have to end today, one way or another..." He slapped his primary firearm to the magnetic strip on the small of his back and Aran noticed out of the corner of her eye, the matching pistol at his hip, as he turned and strode towards her. Aran stood her ground.

"Have you forgotten _exactly_ who's behind this. The _motherless bastard_ who would have seen you dead! You're trying to make me _the enemy_ here, Wrex. _He's_ the one you should be angry with." Samus winced inwardly at that last one, a throw-back testament to the days when she hardly spoke to anyone and was as about as verbose as a Dachora.

"Really?" Wrex scoffed. "_Saren_, _created_ a cure for my people. _You_, want to _destroy_ it. Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between _friend_ and _foe_ are getting a little blurry, from where I stand."

Thunder crashed over the forests, water and mangroves yet again as Aran retaliated: "even if this cure was something we could just _pick up_ and _waltz out_ with! Do you think for a second that the Council would allow me to just - _hand it over_ to you?! Face reality, Wrex, this isn't _a cure._ It is _a weapon_. And if Arterius is able to employ it _you won't be around_ to reap the benefits. _None_ of us will!"

Wrex seemed to expand three-fold as his fury took form. His three-fingered hands became gnarled and trembling as he raised them up to jaw height; stepping forward further so that Aran could feel the grains beneath her feet jump up around her. She also didn't fail to see the tiny sparks of electricity rippling over his clenched teeth and scarlet eyeballs, signifying a dark energy build in his implanted element zero nodules.

"That's a chance we should be willing to take! This is the fate of my _entire people_ we're talking about! I've been loyal to you so far. _Hell_, you've done more for me than _my own famil_y ever_ did_. You've shown and told me things I could never have _imagined_, Sam... Taught me techniques, _endowed me_ with knowledge. Do I have to take one more _final_ thing from you before you let _me_ stand on my own two feet, _dammit_!"

"Is_ that_ what this is about? You want me to _satisfy your wounded vanity_ when we are effectively in the middle of _a_ _war_?! I don't have the_ time_ or even the _years required_ to _cry over_ your pathetic one-sided rivalry! All those, 'who would win in a fight between you and Shepard?' anecdotes...? You're _beneath_ this kind of _petty posturing_, Wrex. WHY DO I EVEN HAVE TO _EXPLAIN_ THIS TO YOU?"

"Hah! _There's_ the orator _I know_! Well... Why don't you _indulge_ me..."

"I'd sooner invite you into _my bed_ than let your insubordination stand." Aran comminated forebodingly.

"You're not leaving _my sight_ until I get _my answers_, Shepard. I _need_ to know what your reasons are. I need to know we're doing this for _the right reasons_!"

Aran insignificantly altered her stance as she stepped forth, challenging him physically and ready for a clenched fist to be imparted from him instead of further words. She cursed on how much she had sparred with him during the months they'd known each other. He _knew_ her penchant for pragmatism. Whoever got the first blow in would be the victor and with his formidable biotic talents that nearly matched her own; even the Hunter herself was unsure of whom...

"Your _personal feelings_ on the matter are_ irrelevant_, Wrex. We've discussed the possibility of Krogan expansion, it _can't_ and it _won't_ happen now. This base is going up in cinders! And _every drop_ of research with it!"

"Don't - _push_ - _ME!_ SHEPARD!" He bellowed with alarming suddenness, getting up in her grill, nostrils flaring. "I FOLLOWED YOU BECAUSE I WANTED TO FIGHT FOR SOMETHING _MORE_ THAN _CREDITS!_ IF YOU CAN'T GIVE ME A BETTER REASON TO _DESTROY THE HOPES OF MY PEOPLE...!_ THEN I AM _DONE_ WITH YOU!"

The heat knife bayonet of his pistol sprang open, a pulse of mind over matter sent grit swirling into Aran's eyes as Wrex sprang into action, quick as a Komodo. Their scuffle lasted all of two seconds as Samus flowed around his biotic backhand even when blinded, his shotgun springing loose telekinetically and finding its way into her capable hands along with the combat blade clutched under the handle. The son of Urdnot blinked in surprise as they stood apart just as fast as they'd engaged. His pistol leveled exactly at her right cheek for instant access to the Medulla. A sure kill-shot. While she pointed his own weapon straight at the seam between his left eye and his manhood. Everyone else had reacted slower but react they did. Until Aran warned them away.

"None of you interfere! Stay out of this!" She barked, never lowering her arms from the Mexican stand-off she and one of her formerly most trusted men were in the middle of. But Garrus still trained his rifle on Wrex, Liara's biotics were flaring, the Salarians were bearing arms and Ash was walking around the semi-circle of tents to get behind them...

"What _now_, Shepard? We're both made of sterner stuff than _most_. But at the end of the day we're _only_ mere mortals."

"True. Though I've never died to discover otherwise."

"Maybe we can find out together..."

"Maybe we _can_. But I think you _know_ who's going to go _first into the Void_ if you don't ameliorate this matter."

"_Me?_ This can end _right now_. You just have to tell me _the reason_, Shepard. _Tell me the reason!_"

"The only _reason_ you'll _ever_ need is that I am giving you _an order_ to _fall in line!_"

"So that's it? _All_ _this time_ and that's all I get from _you?_ How can _you not see what this means to the Krogan!_ This base _can't_ be destroyed! I _won't_ allow it."

"Wrex..." Sam implored as she circled him carefully, trying to impose herself between him and Ash. But the Battlemaster wouldn't remain still either and began to stay parallel with her constantly. "This is _folly_. Even_ if_ you killed me. The others would cut you down where you stand."

"I _think_ you're overestimating their abilities, Shepard."

"And you forget that we, _I_, can die from a lucky fluke, Wrex. That's why you're hoping to sever my brain-stem with a single shot before I send you into a catatonic healing coma that you never wake up from."

"All you've claimed throughout this merry-go-round is that retrieving _a trace_ of a brighter future for my kind is not _possibly_ feasible. Well I - want - _more_! And I'm willing to _kill_ or _die_ to get it!"

Aran's index finger tightened around the pound-pull... Then went slack, removing it from the trigger guard. She held the weapon up before letting it drop and revolve until she was holding the box, then she shucked it up so that she was grasping it by the barrel. Unable to fire. The bayonet was left to fall as well. Wrex's eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed and he did not reciprocate the gesture.

"These Krogan, you would - _go in there_ to meet. They're _slaves_ of Saren. Puppets, _tools_, to be used and discarded. Is _that_ what you want for your people?" She chided gently.

Wrex sneered, as if he longed to snap 'don't you _dare_ presume to know what I would or wouldn't want for them!' But instead he whispered...

"... _No_. We were tools for the Council _once_. And to thank us for wiping out the Rachni they _neutered_ us all! I doubt Saren would be _half_ as generous. But if you think that little bit of reverse psychology is going to let you off the loop then -"

Aran dived in close with the speed for which she was legendary, a biotic channel raced up to gather at the tip of the upside-down boomstick within equally incredible time, increasing its mass heftily until it was a veritable hybrid of a ball-headed tomahawk and a gunstock war club. She smashed Wrex in the temple so hard that his mammoth neck whipped and his multi-hundred pound weight hand-free cartwheeled through the air to sink half a foot into the soft loamy ground with a terrific shake of the earth as his handgun arced and splashed into the cove's sea.

Williams had opened fire at the same time. Overclocking Aran's Euxenite pistol to sublimate an entire synthetic diamond disposable thermal clip with a single shot. It would make the HMW handgun unfireable for about a full hour. Relegating it to nearly useless in combat. For this situation, however, it was significantly more useful. Except when you manage to hit the wrong target because your mark had been rescued by the one you meant to _save_.

Samus was thrown off her feet as she managed to bring a thick enough barrier to bear to absorb forty percent of the shot. Her kinetic barriers burned out stopping the other thirty percent. And to her relief. The last twenty percent of its power was drained off as it impacted the breastplate of her Crysis armour's non-Newtonian ceramic plating, shrapnel blasted through the bio-fibre filament weave and stopped cold in the dragon scale sealant mesh.

Aran was only winded, but with everyone fussing around her as if she'd endured a mortal wound; it took her bursting out laughing when a chagrined and bright red Ashley timidly held her sidearm out to her in both hands to convince them all she was fine.

"Not a _single_ sudden move, lizard lips." Garrus poked a dazed Wrex upright at gunpoint.

"No danger of that..." He mumbled, teetering. He faced Aran proudly. She looked him over for a moment then decided to concede at least a little. She walked away with him again, supporting the concussed Krogan; much to everyone's shock and disbelief.

"... You'll accompany me, Wrex. _If_ we have time, we'll see what we can recover." She said in a hushed under-tone. "Off the record of course."

"Alright, _Shepard_," he slurred. "You made your point... Guess I'll never get that _other_ answer then will I?"

"If we make it through this... Well, we'll see."

"This isn't _over_, Sam. I don't like _any _part of what's about to go down. But by the Hollows_ I trust you_ _enough to follow your lead_. There's just two things, though."

"What?"

"When we _find_ Saren. _I want his head_."

"Wrex... He'll _kill you_."

"What? Because he beat you up?! That's not so hard! I'm going to tear him a new one, Sam... What he's built is going to be nothing but _dust_ when I'm done..."

"I can't make any promises but, very well... And the other?"

Wrex socked Aran on the chin so hard that he sent her flying into the breaker waves on the shore, sliding on her back until her head and nose was submerged under weeds, mud and water. She coughed and spluttered on her back as Liara ran to her side and lifted her insensible upper body onto her lap. She shot daggers at Wrex.

"Don't you _dare_, do that again, Urdnot Wrex! Or you'll have _me_ to deal with."

"If it's any consolation, sweetheart. I'd take _you_ the most seriously in a death battle." He chuckled evily, before turning to find a Volkov sniper rifle poking up his right nostril.

"She's not the _only_ one who'll have your hide, Wrex. Touch Shepard again and you _die_."

"Do I _look_ like I fear _death_, boy?" He growled nasally. "Besides," He moved Vakarian's sniper aside with a single digit. "She touched me before you."

Garrus struck him with the butt.

"Jealous?"

Garrus hit him again.

Wrex boomed in mirth.

"Stop wrecking your weapon, Garrus." Aran murmured, cricking her jaw bones and massaging the aching area tenderly.

"Now we're even." Wrex thumped Samus on the back harder than there was any need for.

Liara shook her head at the confusing machismo.

* * *

><p>"Thank you for speaking with the Krogan. It'll b-"<p>

"His name is _Wrex_, Captain."

"That _brute_ could have taken your head off!"

"He _couldn't_."

"... Undoubtedly... I believe you _have_ something for us?"

Aran snapped her fingers and Gabrilan, along with some of the N7's trundled a mushroom shaped device front and centre. They whipped off the tarpaulin to reveal...

"A modified, 100% completely clean_,_ hydrogen fusion bomb. It uses a miniaturized Teller-Ulam design based on the Earth-made _Tsar Bomba, _a laser fusion array and a little, _extremely_ _outlawed_, Einsteinium non-fissionable tamper derivative of mine to go up with the approximate power of 75 to 82 megatons of TNT. An old enemy of mine provided me with some of the raw materials to develop it."

"As extreme a measure as this may be, Virmire _is_ a Garden World, Shepard. I'm glad we didn't have to treck back through the jungle to convert our _own_ ship's drive core all for the sake of a substantially weaker_ dirty bomb_. With that settled, we can attack later today."

"A full-out assault? Good. I prefer a straight up fight to sneaking around any day." Gabrilan laughed along with most of the N7's.

Williams gave her two cents as well, running a hand across the scarlet glowing-dotted dome of Theronian steel. "_Nice_... We drop this baby from orbit and Saren can kiss his _Turian ass_ goodbye."

"Unfortunately, it's never _that_ simple." Kirrahe reminded her. "The facility has _two_ orbital AA guns of their own. And this _isn't_ a ballistic missile. If we're to drop off the nuke from the Normandy, we'll need to infiltrate on foot, disable said GARDIAN towers and pacify any ground forces to have a shot at a stationary sequence detonation."

"On _foot?_ Even _with_ tank support, we don't have _nearly_ enough men!" Alenko protested.

"To meet them _head on_," Garrus countered.

"Officer Vakarian is right, we can work around their numerical superiority. I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention, you, Shepard, can sneak your _Shadow Team_ around the back."

Wrex responded for her. "I hope you frogs _survive_ long enough to be useful."

"We're tougher than we look, Krogan. But it's true, I don't suppose _any_ of us have a high chance of making it out alive... Commander, this will make what I'm going to ask even _more_ difficult. I need _two_ of your men to accompany me, to help coordinate the teams."

Samus didn't even hesitate. "Absolutely, we'll need someone who knows Alliance communication protocols."

"_And_, the Hierarchy," Garrus offered. Aran looked to him and saw the resolution burning in his eyes. She nodded once to signal her acquiescence.

"I volunteer, Commander." Kaidan snapped off first before every other man and woman present shouted out their own support for the role. Ash was the loudest.

"Not so fast, LT. Skipper will need you to arm the nuke. _I'll_ go with the Salarians."

Alenko was having none of that.

"With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not _your_ place to decide."

"Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?!"

"_SHUT IT,_ MARINES." Aran fired with such force that the pair of them nearly jumped in the air. "This is _my_ decision."


	35. In the Base In a Heartbeat

**A/N: Rematch time! And a revelation long in the awaiting... **

**This is the stuff I listened to while penning these sections. **

********Today, We Will Hold the Line / Strive For God Inside -_ 'Superhuman - Where It Ends' _from 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Final Trailer********

**Panther Approach / Breeding Ground Melee - **_'Sins of the Father'_ from 'MGSV: The Phantom Pain' Red-band Trailer ** **

******Implacable Fury / Arterius Goes To Work -_ 'Legion' _from '******Brand X Music'******_  
><em>******

**Dance With The Devil / Saren Boss Battle - _'It Has to be this Way'_ from 'MGR: Revengeance' Final Boss ****  
><strong>****

_"Forget about winning and losing; forget about pride and pain. Let your opponent graze your skin and you smash into his flesh; let him smash into your flesh and you fracture his bones; let him fracture your bones and you take his life! Do not be concerned with escaping safely - lay your life before him!"_

_"If you try to _remember_ you will _lose! _Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, _like water_. Now if you put water into a cup, it _becomes_ the cup. You put water into a bottle, it _becomes_ the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it _become_s the teapot. Now, water can _flow_ or creep, or drip, or _crash. Be water, my friend_."_

_(Bruce Lee)_

**In the Base In a Heartbeat**

"Either of these two would be _more_ than acceptable, Commander." Kirrahe announced sternly. "Both seem ready and willing to lay down their_ lives_ if necessary. Hopefully, if fortune smiles on us today; such sacrifices will not be required."

Aran turned and looked both of her highest ranking birth-race comrades deep in the eyes one after the other. Both of them couldn't keep their eye-contact level ahead for very long. For some undefinable reason, the huntress could feel a tingling premonition of significance centering around this decision...

"Williams." She announced in a clipped tone. "You'll accompany these fine men. _No_. _Heroics_. Do I make myself clear?"

"Aye, aye, Commander!"

With that proclamation, both groups began to adjust armour, modify weapons and break camp to ready themselves for the impossible sortie.

"Shepard." Kirrahe approached Aran as she sharpened one of her many emergency weapons, (a folded Denzium golok machete), with a fossilized Black Phazite whetstone. He made to hand back her flask of first rate, hyper-nutritional liquor. Any being who could stomach it would be fighting fit for _at least_ six hours straight.

"Keep it, Captain. There's _plenty_ more where that came from."

"Much appreciated." He replied, attaching the canteen to his belt. "Anything to finalize?"

"_Shadow_ is clear enough, what will _your_ teams be designated?"

"Aegohr, Mannovai and Jaëto. They were the initial settlements on our first three colony worlds... They are at the heart of Salarian territory to _this day_."

"I always _knew_ it wasn't just the _boys_ back on Earth. You men do _love_ your patriotism."

Kirrahe spread his interlocked palms idly; a refined shrug. "These names will remind my men _what_ they are fighting for. They must have a personal stake in the fight if we are to have any chance of success."

"Let's have one last rundown then." Aran said, lowering herself onto the balls of her feet and staking the short blade in the centre of Kirrahe's holo-blueprint schematics.

"Terrain and architectural data?" She posited.

"Of course." Kirrahe knelt beside her. "Our reconnaissance drones are, _were_ some of the best in the Galaxy before Saren's patrols wiped them out, but we have _full_ mapping of enemy topography _and_ the element of surprise. We'll use your sonic charges to breech the perimeter at this point here and engage the enemy with covering fire from your Mako. Once the battle is joined your team will infiltrate up through the cliffs along the West-side and fight your way to the breeding grounds. You can disable one of the AA guns from there, we'll fight as hard as we can to reach you but the last gun may be _your_ next objective in the end. Once the Normandy lands. Your people will place the nuke at the geothermal taps, _here_. After that, if we all move quickly enough, we should be able to escape on-board with acceptable casualties. If not... Then our memories will live on as martyrs to a greater cause."

"You speak as if this will be our last fight, Captain. I _disagree_. I hope it's the first of many."

"As do _I_, Commander. I see we're all nearly prepped to go."

"I'm ready when you are. Let's do this."

"Excellent. Then if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare my men."

Aran blessed his leave and made her own way to where her soldiers were lined up in two neat facing columns, benches behind them. She walked between the simple formation, stopping to listen to every endearment and playful cajoling from her N7 brothers and sisters, along with warrior clasps from Gabrilan and Wrex. An almost hug-worthy declaration from Tali 'to fight with fire' for her was followed by similar verbal promises from Garrus, Liara and Jamie. Before she reached her seat of honour at the end.

Williams and Vakarian flanked her, with the Turian on her right-hand side. Liara followed, with Kaidan opposite, then Tali and Wrex standing beside them.

"Well..." Ash declared breezily. "This is_ it_. Don't do anything _stupid_ while I'm gone, LT... You too, Commander."

Aran didn't dignify her with a response, leaving Kaidan to mop up for her. "We'll be fine. You'll see." He said strongly.

"Yeah, I just... Good luck."

Liara, considerate as always remarked: "is there something you wish to say - Gunnery Chief?" The afterthought address sounded unbearably cute to Aran's ears. No! She _couldn't_ be thinking such thoughts now!

"I - I don't know, it's just, _weird_, going under someone else's command. I've got use to working with you. _All_ of you."

"Don't _worry_," Vakarian maintained, "we'll see you safe and sound when the dust clears, Ash."

"I know, I, _huh_..." She sighed, usually more eloquent and looked to Aran with unmistakeable fondness. "God knows we've had our difference, but. It's been _an honour_ serving with you, Skipper."

"This is _not_ the end. We're _a team_," Aran stressed. "It doesn't _matter_ if we aren't fighting alongside those closest to us, today. We are _still_ - one unit. Watch each other's backs, keep your eyes open and fight like _I know you can_. We go in _hard_. Hit them _harder_. And we _will_ be the only damn thing left standing that comes out on the other side."

"You bet, Commander."

Everyone else then sat down to watch Kirrahe gather his troops in line before him. They stood at rest as the Captain drew himself up and began to speak.

"You _all_ know the mission, and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life. But I have also heard _murmurs_ of discontent... I _share_ your concerns. We are trained for _espionage_, we would be _legends_. But the records are _sealed_. Glory in battle, is _not_ our way. _Think_ on our heroes. The _Silent Step_, who defeated_ a_ _nation_ with _a single shot_. Or the _Ever-Alert_, who kept _armies_ at bay with _hidden facts_. These _giants_ do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not _all_ that we are! Before the Network, there was the Fleet. Before diplomacy, there - were - _soldiers!_ Our influence stopped the Rachni. But before that, _we held the line_. Our influence stopped the Krogan! But before that, we _held_ the line! Our influence _will_ _stop_ _Saren!_ In the battle today, WE WILL_ - HOLD THE LINE!_"

Aran stood first, along with all of her own troops in silent respect for the impassioned speech.

Kirrahe turned to face her. "Good luck, Commander. I hope we meet again."

Samus was suddenly aware of her _own_ people's desire for a rousing recitation, as they looked to her hopefully. Kirrahe and his men had turned to witness it as well. Aran placed her hands on her knees and stood surely, feeling anything but. What to say, what to say...

"Er... You all know the mission. And what is at stake -"

This earned a few good natured chuckles from around the camp, though Kirrahe raised a loose eye ridge at the copy-cat routine.

"No, seriously... I don't think I could _possibly_ outdo our Captain's valedictory on what it _means_ to fight for _more_ than yourself... So I won't ask you to."

Everyone's curiosity was piqued at that.

"Saren Arterius. You know _the name_. You know what _he's done_. If we fall _today_, the Galaxy is _lost_. On Eden Prime, the people of Constant were not only nearly butchered to the last man, their _lives_ set alight, but _their children_ were placed on spikes, _impaled_, _tortured_, turned into _abominations_!" She had their full attention now.

"Corporal Richard Liam Jenkins _died_ at my hand when he rose again as a_ Husk_, our _brothers_ and _sisters_ have been turned against us by the teeth of the dragon! Aboard Sovereign, he mutilated and killed three of the finest men I ever knew! Private Josh Walter Fredericks, _executed._ Private Russel Emmanuel Craig, _decapitated!_ Private Wahib Bakhsh Singh, _quadruple amputated! _In war... we become _demons_. On _the field,_ we must become _more terrible_ than Arterius could ever _dream_ of being behind closed doors! So _fight_ today, not for anyone else's validation. But for _your_ _own! _Not for any_ nation. _Not for any_ ideology. _Not for_ justice. _Not for_ honour. _Not fo_r power. _Not for_ the future. _Not _for love! _Not for_ peace! Only! For revenge... Everybody_ wants to rule the world, but _nobody_ lives _forever_. So my question is this. For _one_ day: DO YOU WANT TO _LIVE_, FOREVER?!"

Aran's people spun their rifles at parade rest as they stood at attention as one. A true speech left those who heard it too stunned to even think of doing something as crass as applauding. Samus marched down the centre - and to a date with destiny...

* * *

><p>"You need to tell me where you get some of that material." Wrex badgered Aran as they climbed down over the slopes and steppes alongside her platoon. Gabrilan and Kaidan led the other two groups of, appropriately, seven spec ops Alliance marines. Samus got Liara, Tali, Wrex and Jamie as well. The three squads of 8,12,8 where dubbed <em>Team Aether<em>, _Team Shadow_ and _Team Tallon_.

"Not a chance." She replied.

"Hah. Speaking of which, since everybody else is too afraid or _enamoured_ to question you. I read about what you did on Earth in a matter of hours, while we were cooped up in Geneva? Don't try and deny it. Why not put on the suit and lay waste to Saren's base and his mother-ship in a minute and a half?"

"... Let me tell you a story, Wrex."

"I hate stories."

"Well this one is about an Alliance marine who was infected by Husk nanites on Eden Prime. His Commander, trying to save him from a horrible fate, used her abilities to siphon off the neutrino stream energy invisible to nearly all upper life forms. It worked. The Commander in question tried to utilize this strategy _again_ while in personal combat with Saren Arterius. Its application was completely nullified."

"So... _What_? The Reapers have some kind of adaptive protection?"

"I wasn't immediately _aware_ of Sovereign's scanning capabilities, or that of the nanites themselves. They recorded their own demise and the method therein and sooner rather than later, Saren had a_ perfect_ counter-measure in place. What do you suppose would happen if I used _other_ alien technologies in plain view of a Reaper ship's uncharted scanning capabilities?"

"... This war would be over before it's _begun_."

"You're on the _fucking money_, Wrex. I've already lost _one_ advantage and a possible avenue of victory to _them_ and they can have me on the ropes in _any_ engagement with their goddamn infra-sound assaults. So keep your helmets _on_, all of you! I developed some auditory filters to counter-act it. You lose them I _can_ protect you, but the more I have to, the more I'm going to be off my game. _Understood, grunts_?!"

"YES, _MA'AM!_"

_"Comm-check. Do you read me, Commander?"_ Kirrahe's voice came over her sub-dermal transceiver.

"Loud and clear, Captain."

_"Good. We'll start our push. We'll try and make it to the AA guns but it might be up to your men to finish the job. And Commander, if you see any way to undermine their defences, we could _definitely_ use the help."_

"Roger that, over and out."

Aran cocked her HMW battle-rifle, "alter between tungsten and polonium clip load-outs! Shield-synch formation 3597! ECM's are our primary objectives, ladies and gents! Alenko, to the East and circumnavigate, Gabrilan, angle round West! We'll meet up in the centre, hit em' hard!"

"Aye, aye!"

"Come on, _princesses!_ Let's bring the pain!"

"With me! Now!" Aran roared as they leapt into the low-running stream. "NOW! _WITH ME!_"

They moved up, using fallen boulders as cover to flush out Geth platforms. They fell like chaff with the fire-power Aran commanded. She, Liara and Wrex could quite easily tie up snipers and rocket troops with their biotics, leaving them sitting ducks for the N7's who gunned them down with lock-step precision and consummate flexibility.

_"Shadow is on the ground, repeat, Shadow is on the ground. Chief Williams, with Aegohr Team! Mannovai, with me! Jaëto, follow Vakarian's lead! Bring up our tank support, it's time to get some attention!"_

The low but unmistakeable boom of an M35 rover's main gun echoed over the ravines, the battle was now well and truly joined as a chittering swarm of Geth platforms crawled out of the crevices or burst from the water-logged sand where they had lain, bunched up and inactive. Tali and her helping hands laid into them with a fury bordering on apoplexy. The emotional and technological gap between discipline and protective measures clearly not in the Geth's favour.

_"Mannovai is under coordinated cross-fire,"_ Ashley squawked over radio-chatter._ "Check for long range turrets auto-assisting the Geth targeting!" _

"Three o' clock! Commander! Geth Communication Tower!" Ramirez shouted.

"Bring it _down!_" She ordered, firing controlled bursts of destruction at the portable Hex shield formations, drilling three of the mechanical menaces through the eyes. Wrex warped the permacrete support columns into spongy sandstone, while two of her troops assisted by using a PN-24 chemical-free bazooka to level the outpost's barricades and a good deal of its troop contingent with a single shot.

"Cover me!" The Hunter ordered, sprinting across the open wide river-bed vista faster than her men could perceive, even as the ground was eaten up around her by a mounted 'Spitfire' machine gun's superconducting toroids, sending little fountains of water and pebbles into the air. Tali hacked a sniper to turn and place his bullet grain right in a Juggernaut's central processor, while Liara pulled others into the open to be picked off as they hovered helplessly.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Aran projected for all to here, tossing three EMP-cased grenades with a tasty titanium ball-bearing centre up and high over the balcony. Each one had a miniature 360 degree camera that fed into Aran's visor, she used expert-timing and pin-point biotic push manipulation to send each one hurtling straight into the machine-gun nest and twin Primes that were waiting for them upstairs. Everyone braced themselves near the ground, while the triple detonation obliterated any resistance inside.

Rubble chunks and Geth parts rained down on Shadow Team, Liara even broke one particularly large piece of debris apart with her mind to stop any injuries. The squad quickly secured the area and manually shut down the Geth's triangulation and communication protocols from atop the ruined look-out station. Something that Kirrahe immediately took notice of.

_"Something scrambled their optics. We've got a shot! Officer Vakarian, take the heat of Aegohr!" _

_"My pleasure."_ ... 'CRACK-PHOOM!' Echoed through the gorges... _"Hah! Mannovai, you are clear to advance!" _

Aran accessed their secure channels. "Tallon, Aether. Sit-rep."

_"Clearing up hold-outs, Commander. No casualties!"_

_"Same here. Nothing but drones and lone platforms out here, Shepard. Can't wait to get to the good stuff!"_

"Be careful what you wish for, fellas..."

They made their way further through the canyons, the sounds of gunfire nearly drowned out by the falls rushing down on either side, the refraction messed up laser sights and omni tool reticules so many of Aran's troops switched to retractable iron sights and stayed prone on their bellies, driving their way through the paltry resistance like a hot knife through butter.

Kirrahe was fighting a much more pitched-battle by the sounds of things: _"they're calling in sat-strikes! _Jaëto_, watch for comm stations! Williams, can you see anything?"  
><em>

Within seconds after that, Aran had met up with her other teams and laid waste to their minor attackers at the base of the satellite up-link tower. Not even the five man party of Krogan mercs could stand against them when they pulled their shotguns out against a force with greater range, heavier caliber weaponry that deactivated their regeneration and the fact that they were facing a platoon with nearly six times as much dakka to expend. It wasn't fair or honourable. It was a packed up and prepared slaughter that painted the bunker brown and orange until there was nothing recognizable left of the mighty alien warriors.

"This is _my kind_ of vacation," Wrex examined. "lot's of scenery and lot's of _killing_." He finished happily, as he and Gabrilan put aside ingrained evolutionary hostility to boost each other up to the roof and buckle, rip and push the communications dish clean off the building. With that, long range artillery was also off-line. A fact that pleased Ashley no end.

_"They're letting up, start heating up the Mako's gun, Rentola! And keep her hot! ... Then slap some omni gel on her hurts! She's gotta' outlast them!" _

Aran moved up to the front as the three squads ordered themselves for a breach and clear on the stone cat-walks that signified they were approaching the base proper. Kaidan tapped her shoulder as she took point and they were moving as one mobile unit again.

_"Swarms have backed off, heading to perimeter fuel stations. Bunker up before they come back." _Garrus warned his team._  
><em>

The Krogan troops on the gang-planks failed to put up a stiff resistance either, as Aran and company caught them with their pants down and ripped them asunder, sometimes knocking them clean off ledges to fall into the plunge-pools below. Samus again split her forces, but this time she sent Gabrilan up the middle along with Kaidan to provide back-up, while she and her troops planted C9 on the drone landing pad, sending the structure into the sea.

"Lets see them harry our friends now..."

Kirrahe concurred only a few moments later, as Aran led her men deeper into the weaving path complex of bridges.

_"Air threat has not re-materialized. We must be getting some help from Shadow!" _

Geth Flyers were the least of Aran's problems though, Krogan veterans were spaced out over the side entrance to Saren's lair. Accompanied by dozens of freshly armoured raw recruits from the labs, Samus could smell the cloning juices clinging to them and she knew Wrex could too.

It was the first grueling fight of the mission, they lost a man as he was brought to the ground and pulled limb from limb before T'Soni and Aran turned the Krogan 'new-borns' to liquid with their biotics. Sniper fire from the other N7's definitely served them well as they perforated their enemies to the wall.

_"Shadow Team must be getting close. Hold the line, men! Hold the line!" _Kirrahe cried, trying to bolster their resolve.

After the fierce fire-fight, Aran sent Aether and Tallon Team into the underworks of the facility to root out any other surprises, sending Liara with Gabrilan's squad to allow them more biotic joule power per person.

Tali cracked a master control panel in as much time as it took to prise open the panel with her knife.

"We've got access to base security," she informed her Commander as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The girl made hacking look effortless and Aran felt her heart swell with pride. "We can cut the alarms from here, maybe even trigger alarms on the far side of the base. It'll clear the guards out for _us_. But they might be too much for Garrus, Ash and the Salarians to handle..."

"Just disable the alarms, Tal. We can handle _anything_ they have inside."

The Pilgrim from the Rayya did just that.

Aran's forces threw grenades into the warehouse interior before storming the place at full force. Wrex led them this time, running down Geth, stripling Krogan warriors and even indoctrinated STG members of Kirrahe's company without a care. Samus was certain he'd give into his blood rage sooner than later and forced him back.

"Are you _trying_ to get _more_ of my men killed, Wrex?"

"This is a cake-walk, Shepard! Not a challenge in sight! Don't even _think_ of getting in between me and Saren when I flip over whatever rock he's hiding under!"

"I wouldn't _dream_ of it, perhaps you'll listen to me more in the future when you see where it leads you..."

"You told me you_ killed him_, looks like you didn't try _hard_ enough!"

"I smashed his _brains in_, Wrex! He was up on his feet _ten seconds later_. The nanites in his body can _regenerate_ all his living tissue. And those regenerative abilities are being exercised, _conditioned_, like any muscle!"

"So I exhaust their power source," he shrugged without a care. "Blunt force trauma isn't the _only_ way to kill a man."

"You're a _damn fool_, Urdnot Wrex! We'd be better off _restraining_ him _together_. Take him back to the Council _alive_. Until we can separate him from that ship and the Reaper signal influences on board, he's _virtually_ immortal!"

"Not - going - to _happen_, that, _motherless bastard_, as you call him, is _mine_. Biotics will do the trick, they're only limited by the user's _imagination_. And believe me. I can be _very_ - _creative_..."

They stormed the labs, indoctrinated workers throwing themselves at armed soldiers; Aran's squad gave them the only mercy left to them before investigating the captured 'specimens'. They uttered mindless whispers along the lines of:

"It calls, and I must follow..."

"I am only what it wants me to be..."

"It never sleeps! IT NEVER SLEEPS!"

"It is - _emptiness_..."

"_The darkness comes... _The darkness _cannot_ be breached, they'll eat my eyes, eat my _soul_, eat me, _eat_ -"

Of them all, only _one_ had still retained his mind, Samus decided to free and escort him to safety, since he had first-hand experience of witnessing indoctrination effects.

"We'll be out of here soon, soldier." She assured him as they made their way down sterile hallways.

"Thank you, Commander. I'm Lieutenant Ganto Imness, 3rd Infiltration Regiment. You must be here to destroy the base...? I still can't quite comprehend it. My _entire_ team - _altered_, indoctrinated. The Captain _knew_ about the breeding grounds, but the indoctrination is the _greater_ threat and _far_ more horrifying... They made me watch as good people were reduced to empty shells. There wasn't _anything_ left. Other's died in the experiments... I _envy_ them."

"What kind of - experiments?" Samus asked him as she checked a corner and saw no hint of enemy presence.

"I was, _lucky_, just part of a _control group_ for comparison, the others were subject to indoctrination exposure through alien markers. They - _studied_ it: its symptoms, progress, duration of mental stability before degradation. Saren uses it to _control_ his people but I don't think even _he_ fully understands it..."

"That's more than enough for now. You'll get home for a full-debrief, Imness. I promise you."

"Thank you, Commander."

Aran keyed in the Normandy's frequency. "Still performing full evasive maneuvers, Joker?"

_ "I know the drill, Commander. All's clear out here, not a nasty squid ship in sight and I doubt it can use that tractor tech within a planet's atmosphere."_

"Good, keep me up to date and inform me_ straight away_ if the Leviathan makes a move for us. That part is _critical_, Jeff."

_"You can count on me, Sam."_

"I know I can, Jeff. Out."

Soon, Shadow regrouped with Aether and Tallon, who had sliced the interior cameras and all other automated security, they were forced to dispatch more raving STG personnel before heading into the depths of the complex in a large freight elevator. The lift stopped at the lowest floor to reveal the primary laboratory. A steel and chrome nightmare fun-house of Husk analyzer experiments, cloning tanks and one _very_ crazy chief researcher.

Droyas was babbling uncontrollably. "What is going on?! _Where_ are the guards?! _Where_ is Saren?! NO! STAY BACK! THIS IS IMPORTANT WORK! THIS IS THE _GLORIOUS SALVATION_ OF MY SPECIES!"

Wrex and Gabrilan shot him both at the same time, while the rest of the platoon decimated every other possible hostile, the insane Asari assistant, inanimate Husk Humans, Salarians and even some dried up, stitched-together, mutated Krogan.

"Did I _really_ sound that _demented_ on the beach?"

"You sure did, old man." Gabrilan ribbed. "I _knew_ this was a pile of crock. This place is just about growing disposable, strong bodies for Saren to throw at us and all his enemies."

"No! There must be _something_ else in here!" Wrex cast already burning and shredded papers aside, overturned tables, grabbed vials of liquid only to shatter them in his hand when they were revealed to be urine samples or some other embryonic fluid culture and fruitlessly searched through a nearby computer database that turned up nothing as well on a visible _tangible_ Genophage cure. Aran really wished Kirrahe had used his words more carefully back on the beach. he'd got Wrex worked up for nothing but at least there was a silver lining in that he was coming out into the open with his grievances of being under someone else's leadership.

"Wrex! We don't have _time_ for this!" Aran snapped sharply. "The Salarians are _counting on us! Ash_ and_ Garrus_ are counting on us! Get your act together, _now!_"

The Battlemaster had just finished tearing an entire fuming cabinet off the wall to get a look at the petri dishes inside. He swiped them, and the shelves they were on, into so many pieces with his massive forearm before raising both to the ceiling and bellowing in frustration and defeat:

"I'M GONNA TEAR THIS _WHOLE PLACE_ DOWN!"

"YES! THAT'S THE _SPIRIT!_" Aran roared in his face. "Now clear us a path to the next check-point! Solo! If you _please!_"

"_RIGHT AWAY_, MA'AM! AH! HA! HA! HA! HA! HAAAH!"

Kaidan did not seem to think much of such blatant manipulation when Wrex was nearly unstable. But Samus didn't give a damn. Alenko could stuff his childish pretensions regarding this matter, she'd give Wrex his shot at Saren, she just hoped he would still be _alive_ to eat humble pie after... Or else suck it through a straw.

* * *

><p>Rana Thanoptis was having a quiet, relaxing morning. She looked out on Virmire's beautiful scenery and sighed happily with a mug of coffee in hand. The Asari found herself especially glad of the sound-proofing in the magnificent sprawling building. The Geth or Krogan sentries wondering the place would never disturb her work, no matter what heavy maintenance or drills they were getting up to...<p>

The same could not be said for silence when a swathe of automatic fire sent her personal guards to pieces and her crawling underneath her desk as jack-booted thugs smashed her door down and flooded the office with military precision. Along with a motley collection of aliens, who wore differing hard suits. Their olive drab and bronzen coat, black and white war-stripe armoured leader with the scary blacked out V-shape visor helmet pulled her out from her hiding place and pressed a pistol to her face, she recognised it as similar to Saren's and knew this to be the Spectre hunting him. She looked like one of those Earth predators, a Sumatran Tiger in Human form; with a hand-cannon.

"Wait!" She pleaded, crying and streaming all over the place. "Don't _shoot_! Please! I'm not a threat!"

"Really?" Answered the masked soldier with the Devil's voice. "Every other support staff member here has just tried to_ kill_ us. What makes you so special Miss...?"

"Thanoptis, Rana Thanoptis, neurospecialist, but this job isn't worth _dying_ over, or _worse_! I just want to get out of here before it's too late!"

"And why would that be?"

"You think the indoctrination process only affects _prisoners_?! Sooner or later, Saren will want to _dissect_ my brain, too!"

"I'm of a mind to _let him!_ Now tell me what this department is! _Where_ are the breeding grounds!"

"Adjacent to this section! Please... don't _hurt me_... But this level... We were studying Sovereign's _affects_ on organic minds. At least, that's what I _assumed_. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible!"

Liara looked at her countrywoman with loathing. "You helped that, _sociopath_ with this _demented research_ and you didn't even know _why?_"

"I didn't have the _option_ of _negotiating_! This position is a little more _permanent_ than I'd like!"

"You're not helping your case, sister." Wrex grumbled. "Give me one good reason not to eat you in one bite."

"No! Keep him away from me!"

"No can do, Rana. He's a _hungry one_," Sam manhandled her straight in front of the facially scarred old warrior. "I don't know how long I can keep him in _check_..."

"_Okay!_ Okay! I'll help you! We're right next to Saren's private lab. I can get you in!" Thanoptis tried to placate her captors.

She stumbled over to the inner, reinforced door with Aran following her every move, pistol jammed into the back of her neck to ensure no treachery. Thanoptis entered her security pass code. The red indicator light switched to green as the door unlocked with a hiss.

"See?! _Full_ access! _All_ of Saren's private files! Are we good? Can I go?"

"Go?" Aran brought her to her knees by lightly stamping her hamstring inwards with her boot. "I'm going to blow this place to _hell and gone_. If you want to make it out _alive_. You better start _running_."

"What?! You _can't_ - but I'll never... Ohhh!" Thanoptis tried to flee but Liara cleaned her clock with a right cross and let her fall across Vasquez's shoulders in a fire-man's carry.

"Take her and Imness onto the Normandy as soon as she comes in to land and make the drop-off. Our STG man goes to Chakwas. The_ neurospecialist_ can go to the brig."

"Aye, aye, Commander."

Wrex laughed deep from his chest at the show. "I've said it once before and I'll say it again. I _like_ the way you think, Shepard."

"You could have fooled me... Boys and girls, stay down here and secure the overpass bridge. T'Soni, Gabrilan, Andrews, Zorah, Wrex, Alenko: you'll accompany me."

Saren's private laboratory was a labyrinth of metal gantries, bloodied operating tables and expensive scientific apparatus. It also housed numerous cloning tanks with equally twisted specimens inhabiting each. Evidently, Saren had also been trying to refine his mass-produced Krogan shock-troopers.

"He needs to _pay_ for what he's done to my people..." Wrex whispered, hand resting on the glass surface of a tank which contained a split-plate with a head twice the size of his body. Arterius seemed to collect the failed ones as some sort of perverse hobby.

"Samus! Over here!" Liara called suddenly, gesturing for the team to follow.

"What is it?"

"It's a Prothean beacon! Like the one from Eden Prime!" She gushed excitedly, Aran rounded the corner with her to see the unmistakeable mint light of the monolithic computer, situated amongst a battery of monitoring equipment and haptic interfaces.

Slowly, the Hunter neared the ancient device, gesturing for everyone to stay a safe distance away. She activated some of the protocols and quickly navigated the extensive security, all the while, checking that this beacon didn't have some kind of psionic trap waiting for her when she _did_ remove her helmet, clip it to her belt and lower her automatic mental shields.

At last, Aran stepped up to the beacon and placed both arms into jade green haptic circles, her twin omni tools were recognised thanks to her tampering and at once she relaxed utterly into a meditative trance, she would have fallen backwards had the ME field not burst from the device with incredible power, lifting her above her comrades as the beam etched memories onto her neurons: Aran found herself much more consciously _aware_ of the visions than she _ever_ had been in the past.

_Once more she saw through the titian-tinged eyes of an alien race. A forest garbed cityscape in ruins. Though stone sky-scrapers _still_ stood against the end. People flash-incinerated in the grass-covered streets by streams of molten metal. Organic and synthetic elements enmeshed together. And_ both_ screamed in despair... Burrowing into the ground for safety, burrowing into the soul for subversion. Substituting, evolving, transcending. Or so they would say. **You have nothing, Shepard. Nothing to do - with **_**all**_** your strength. YOU WILL LOSE! **__The voice promised. A voice she had heard before... _

Aran's eyes slowly opened wide, blazing at this new unveiling adumbration. She'd heard that voice before! The link broke off and sent Aran collapsing to her knees. Liara was beside her in less than a second.

"What did you see?"

It took Aran a moment to compose herself before she looked to her partner with something akin to terror.

"The _true _threat... I was so foolish... I've been so _blind!_"

"I don't understand. What do you _mean?_" Liara cupped her cheeks lovingly as Aran stared at a place the Asari couldn't see. She helped the Commander to her feet. The other members of the crew were beginning to lose _their_ cool too, considering their leader was nearly shaking, her teeth gritting so hard her gums_ bled_.

The lab darkened oppressively. Though the lights still shone.

A vermilion holographic control panel stood out in the gloom...

"I have a feeling something _bad_ is about to happen..." Wrex said forbiddingly.

Although Samus looked for an instant as if she wished to flee. The episode was gone as quickly as it had arrived, she stepped up to the plate and past her allies to reach the unique interface on the top floor. They assembled behind her as she examined it. But physical proximity was all that was needed.

A blood claret 3D representation of Sovereign faded into being. There was silence for a split second, then a deep voice that could chill even the Hunter's Chozo blood crackled through the air, mechanical, bestial, unknowable...

**_"_You_, Are Not Saren." _**It almost accused the Spectre before him. But it was more of an empty clarification than a meaningful rebuke.

"What _is_ that?" Tali wondered out loud for the group's benefit. "Some kind of - VI interface?" The hologram's answer gave them all pause. And it was an answer they would remember still when the veil of years fell upon them and their graves lay open to await them.

**_"Rudimentary Creatures Of Blood And Flesh. You Touch My Mind, Fumbling In Ignorance, _Incapable_ of Understanding." _**

Andrews and T'Soni spoke for everyone at the same time. "I don't think this is a VI."

_**"There Is A Realm Of Existence So **_**Far**_** Beyond Your Own, You Cannot Even **_**Imagine**_** It. I Am **_**Beyond**_** Your Comprehension. **_**I**_**, Am Sovereign." **_

"Well, I'll be a Turian's uncle," Gabrilan uttered quietly. "It's not just some _Reaper ship_, Saren found. It's an _actual_ _Reaper!_"

**_"Reaper. A Label Created By The Protheans To Give Voice To Their Destruction. In The End, What They Chose To Call Us Is Irrelevant. We Simply - _Are._"_**

Kaidan spoke up next: "the Protheans vanished _fifty thousand years ago_! You _couldn't_ have been there! it's _impossible_!"

Samus covered her face with one hand. "Oy vey." She whispered.

_**"Organic Life Is Nothing But A Genetic Mutation. An **_**Accident**_**. Your Lives Are Measured In Terminable Spaces. Years, Decades. You **_**Wither**_**, And**_** Die**_**. **_**We**_**, Are Eternal. The Pinnacle Of Evolution And Existence. Before Us, You, Are **_**Nothing**_**. Your Extinction Is Inevitable. **_**We**_**, Are The End Of Everything."**_

Aran had had enough. "Whatever your _plan_ is, it is going to _fail_. _I'll_ make _sure_ of that. And on the day you _fall_ you will _curse _the day you heard my name."

**_"Confidence Born Of Benightedness. The Cycle, _Cannot_ Be Broken." _**

"Cycle? _What_ cycle?" Wrex asked, playing dumb.

**_"The Pattern Has Repeated Itself More Times Than You Can Fathom. Organic Civilizations Rise, Evolve, Advance. And At The Apex Of Their Glory, They Are _Extinguished_. The Protheans Were Not The First, They Did Not _Create_ The Citadel, They Did Not _Forge_ The Mass Relays. They Merely _Found_ Them. The _Legacy_, Of _My_ Kind."_**

Liara now addressed the Reaper. Samus nearly laughed out loud at Liara's open bookish curiosity when speaking to an eldritch being. "_Why_ would you construct the Mass Relays and just _leave_ them for other races to find?"

**_"Your Civilization Is B_ased_ On The Technology Of The Mass Relays. _Our _Technology. By Using It, Your Society Develops Along The Paths _We_ Desire. We Impose _Order_ On The _Chaos_ Of Organic Evolution. You _Exist_, Because We A_llow_ It. And You Will _End_, Because We _Demand_ It." _**

"They're _harvesting us_!" Tali moaned in panic. "Letting us advance to the level they _need_ - then _wiping us out_!"

Liara was quick to posit another question: "what do you _want_ from us? Slaves? Resources?"

_**"My Kind **_**Transcends**_** Your Very Understanding. We Are **_**Each**_** A Nation. Independent. ****Free**** Of All Weakness. You Cannot Even**_** Grasp**_** The Nature Of Our Existence."**_

T'Soni was undeterred. "_Where_ did you come from? _Who_ built you?"

**_"We Have No Beginning. We Have No End. We, Are _Infinite_. Millions Of Years After Your Civilization Has Been Eradicated And Forgotten. _We_, Will Endure." _**

"Where are _the rest_ of the Reapers?" Liara continued, then, somewhat hopefully. "Are you the _last_ of your kind?"

**_"We Are _Legion_. The Time Of Our Return Is Approaching. Our Numbers Will Darken The Sky Of _Every_ World. You Cannot Escape, Your Doom." _**

It was quite safe to say that Samus Aran was not about to take such a one-sided argument lying down.

"You know... You _claim_, to be beyond mortal comprehension. Yet you - _treat_ with us, using _words_. You _threaten_ us, with, rather Lovecraftian, _psychological warfare_. You employ _mind slaves_ to manage the tasks _you cannot_; due to your rather _bloated_ size. These all imply similar limitations to us _poor, lowly meat-bags_. None of us are _free_ of them. But you know what we are free of...? No? _Control_. I, we, _the Galaxy_ have _a choice_ to face you -" Aran suddenly blew up, nearly frothing at the mouth such was her rage. "and by _the Mother of all Creation_, I'll see you _burn_! You will _beg_ me for your miserable, blinkered existence; before I've wiped, every last _miserable_ _Reaper_ from the _face of the Universe!_ You will know _fear_, at my hands! Because all creatures _feel fear_... And you are _tiny, _no more or less than _us_, _or me_, but I can assure you... _You_ and _your _kind will _break under my heel_ first...!"

Sovereign only paused for a fraction after listening to Aran's tirade.

**_"Your Words Are As _Empty_ As_ Your Future_. I Am The Vanguard Of _Your Destruction_. This Exchange, Is _Over_." _**

A screech of formidable infra-sound shattered every window in the lab and blew out almost every other electronic device in the area as well. But the crew were protected by their auditory filters and the panes of refined silicon broke harmlessly against their armour.

"Touchy, isn't he?" Wrex muttered, trying to ground everyone after such an unpleasant surprise.

"Garrus would have had a one-liner much better suited to the situation, I think." Tali replied.

Joker took the opportunity to beep his superior officer.

_"Commander, we've got _trouble_."_

Aran grinned madly. "Lay it on me, Joker. I _love_ bad news..."

_"That ship, Sovereign. It's _moving_! I don't know what you did down there but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any one of our ships _in half_! it's coming your way and it's coming _hard_! You need to wrap things up down there, _fast_!"_

"What do we do now, Commander?" Liara asked, slightly scared by the nearly wild glean in Aran's profound eyes.

"We make for the breeding grounds, dispatch everything in our way, take out those guns, rendezvous with Mannovai, Aegohr and Jaëto Teams. And then... I'm going to show you how to _kill a Reaper_."

* * *

><p>On the course-way, Aran's platoon was confronted by a similarly numbered force of Krogan warriors.<p>

"Now this day is just getting better and _better!_ _Take them!_" Samus roared, exploding into their midst.

"It's Kruul Laak! What are you waiting for, you morons?! Kill her!" Their Battlemaster vociferated.

"_How_?!" Another yelped.

And indeed it was so. Sovereign's true origins and words of inevitable failure had put the Raging Devil in one hell of a battle high. She activated her hydro-crank under barrel chain-saw attachment with one hand, drew her HMW shotgun with the other and began to lay them out like so many corpses. Flash-step blinking out of their clutches when they tried to dog-pile her and unloading ammunition point-blank into their faces and vital organs,

Wrex, Liara and Kaidan had enough biotic power to punch through their own combatants as well and even the N7's managed to bring some of the Krogan down together and put a storm of bullets in their heads. Vasquez even pulled a Leng and killed one with his non-standard issue bowie knife and a bit of well placed ocular application.

"Is that _all?!_" Aran howled as she confronted the leader and his first biotic attack skated harmlessly off her barrier. She was about to advance to CQC range, then thought better of it and with a flick of her wrist sent him headfirst into the curtain wall across the bay at a hundred and twenty miles an hour.

"What a waste of breath..." She mused, her death-craze satisfied for now.

_"Shadow must have a kicked a soft spot! Draw them out Williams! Don't let them gain ground - "_

Her platoon pushed on, fighting their way around the side of the facility to reach the generator room at the bottom of the ground to orbit cannon.

"That turret could punch some nasty holes in the Normandy..." Wrex observed.

"Not for long. Kaidan, Tali. Take it offline, quietly. We're going to roll them into a nice neat package."

Even Aran had lost count of the number of Geth and Krogan soldiers she'd killed or made defunct, the Anti Aircraft battery was soon powering down as the Quarian technician and Alliance Sentinel deactivated its primary systems.

"Kirrahe. It's Shadow. One down, one to go."

_"Good work on the guns, Shadow Team. Now it's our turn."_ Kirrahe informed them over the comms.

_"That's it, guys! Clear the Geth out and set those charges!" _Garrus also hollered along the secure channel. The sounds of whizzing grains, explosions and the crack of Garrus's trusty rifle sounded for a few moments more until...

_"Get down everyone, it's going up!" _Kirrahe yelled.

A massive plume of smoke and fire billowed into the clear sky from the far side of the base. Accompanied by the deafening rumble of collapsing masonry.

_"Aw, ho! Alright!"_ Joker cawed. _"Nice work! That's one less thing to worry about. Commander, I'm bringing us in. I'll get as close to the site as I can."  
><em>

"Hold off, we might have to clear the landing zone of hostiles."

_"No can do, Commander. Sovereign is on my tail and he's looking pretty pissed."_

"... _Excellent_, make sure he sees what we're packing."

_"Commander?!"_

"It thinks it knows_ everything_ about Human nature, Joker. It thinks we'll use the nuke at _any_ cost. I'm counting on it _thinking_ that, otherwise we're all going to _die_ here today!"

_"Uh, sure thing, Shepard. I'm coming in hot. Get ready!"_

"Double-time it people! Stop for nothing!" They stormed the drainage canals leading to the geothermal taps where chemicals from the labs collated in the oily water banks for siphoning and catalytic cracking inside a massive furnace silo. Samus wagered all her scientific acumen that the volatile location would turn the bomb into a bunker-buster / continent-leveler and at the very least _triple_ the yield output of the subsequent nuclear reaction.

The Krogan had finally cottoned on, they made their way up from the drift-works in the _hundreds_. Though most were heading to the very edge of the facility to otherwise engage Kirrahe, Williams and Vakarian. Samus would _not_ allow that.

Aran shoved her men and allies forward in a dead run, as countless warriors burst from their surroundings and some even out of the piping, or so it seemed. It also looked like a lot of them had been flushed from their synthetic wombs too soon; as many were naked and unarmed but still no less dangerous.

"Leave them to me!" She ordered.

"And _me!_" Wrex thundered, "We do this _together!_" He demanded of Aran, turning around and covering her flank. he stepped back until his hump collided with her bandoleer and combat harness. The touch reassuring them both that they were not alone.

Samus roared her last instructions. "Bolster our friends from the Union! Establish a rearguard and get our troops down here to the rendezvous! NOW! NOW! _NOW!_"

The Hunter and the Battlemaster, exchanged ammunition clip varieties for each other. Readied themselves as their friends departed with looks of concern and longing - and let the wave break against them.

* * *

><p>Liara and Kaidan made short work of any Geth Sappers clinging to the overpasses and they were soon joined by a Salarian contingent led by Garrus.<p>

"Great work guys! We're coming back through. Ashley's dug in up there under the AA tower's ruins with what's left of Aegohr Team and is kicking the Geth's collective asses. She ordered me along to pave the way, says I don't work as well entrenched! Can you believe it?!"

"Is Kirrahe making his way back along our lines?!" Gabrilan requested of him.

"Sure is, he'll be here in a couple of minutes. In the meantime, what say we make the LZ fit for habitation when Moreau and Shepard see fit to grace us with their life-preserving presence?"

* * *

><p>"RAAAAAARRGGHH!" Aran sounded nothing <em>close<em> to Human as she drove her newest invention, a _double-sided_ chainsaw mount on her carbine deep into a Krogan's face, spraying herself with orange blood before yanking it up hard, it felt like splitting a rind. And Samus found herself savagely wishing she could taste it on her tongue. Wrex was blowing off heads left right and centre, tearing out chunks of flesh with his teeth and spreading toxic buck and incendiary tipped high precision rounds through multiple opponents back to chest so that they toppled together in a heap.

Samus sliced off one's arms, his entire jaw, then impaled him straight through the chest before commando rolling over in the filthy brine with her meat shield, absorbing enemy shots even as she gunned down three more with rapid-fire bursts _through_ the body until it was set alight such was the thermal clip's heat discharge.

She allowed the tide of bellowing animals to press her back into a corner, using the stuck corpse to keep them stemmed in as she dispatched one after the other with pointblank handgun grapples or omni tool blades repeatedly jabbed into their still soft prenatal skulls.

Wrex was body slamming his smaller kinsman into the canal bed, gleefully cracking their bones under his greater girth and weight and utilizing crowd-control to the max with his biotics. Aran stuck to the ground also, lashing out with such force that she was soon crawling through a pile of severed limbs and steaming offal that would have choked slaughterhouse workers.

Aran knew the only way to allow their squads to fully re-group was to break what was left of Saren's test tube army here on the ground. To make them flee and lose the will to fight. Well she would see to that and in good time to. Aran turned several of the 'babies' skins inside out, launched tendrils of biotic seeker arms filled with stasis expansion bubbles, flares, warps, dark channels, annihilation flames and polarizing lash partitions. Their heads burst asunder from outside or collapsed from within, some had massive spherical chunks disappear from their bodies, others fell apart under their own weight while others still were liquidated or torn in opposite directions as her soldier had been.

It culminated in Aran unleashing a biotic reave lock repulse field detonation of such magnitude that a score of Krogan tank-grown were reduced to ashes as they were cast back and thrown at speed into the collapsing walls and imploding machinery.

Wrex was still wrestling and head-butting with the Warlord sent to bolster this section of Saren's army. Both trying to line up a shot with their assault rifle and light machine-gun respectively. Aran took a split-second to see how he was faring, then acted.

She fired an overload pulse into the water, setting the stinking flammable liquid alight and roasting the dozens of amputees where they lay inside their armour, what little reinforcements were still trickling in could only stop and stare at what came next.

Aran telekinetically yanked their automatic weapons out of their straining arms to palm their grips clean and smooth before power-sprinting right at them. Omni tools coalescing around their heat-sink ejection ports and spreading liquid nitrogen into a fresh thermal clip matrix as she revolved them back twice, reloading them instantly. She vault-jumped through the fiery wall, loosing a chilling battle cry like a demon of the deep, and unloaded _both two-handed rifles_ into the rival Krogan's torso and face as she compensated for the nearly non-existent climb.

The Warlord was extirpated on the spot. Ceramic, bone and matter splattering all over the place until he was just _gone_. And all the while Samus found drawn-out vocal release for her self-induced combat high in her helm, spreading her arms to both sides to cut down his minions. This was too much for the clones. Who turned tail and fled but not before Aran planted both guns, removed their boiling clips with levitation, primed them with overload mines and sent them at their backs.

Searing hot lithium shards were driven into them, bolts of lightning rendered them spastics and the rest unlucky enough to survive her final parting gift were engulfed in sticky, toxic napalm as they lay helpless, screaming and pleading to die. Wrex could only watch in silence as the Raging Devil walked right past them and through the flames...

* * *

><p>Normandy swept into land atop the cove's water-stream ramp and every team except for the whole of Williams' turned to greet the Commander entering from the river-way. Bathed in fire and blood. Rifle cocked over her shoulder as if she were merely on a damn stroll. Garrus had a hard time stopping his jaw from staying agape and Liara hesitated only for a moment before running to embrace Aran. Who picked her up with one arm.<p>

Wrex was re-evaluating once more as he helped the N7's carry the nuke down the SR-1's cargo ramp and the prisoner and rescuee were loaded on-board.

Aran was scanning the skies, she pointed out a black hand that shifted behind a large piece of cloud cover kilometers up to Dr. T'Soni as it began to rain a slight wind-swept spray of precipitation that came at them sideways.

"There. It's _watching_ us... Saren _must_ be here. And as long as we have him among us _and_ our ace in the hole, it won't _dare_ get too near."

"I hope you're right..." Liara murmured.

Observed closely by Samus: Kaidan, Jamie, Vasquez and Wrex planted the four hundred kilo nuclear device against the spring-well and allowed its drill feet to embed themselves in the base's hydro-power supply and actinic / enzymatic waste outtake. Priming cores projected out of the dome and he and Tali efficiently stacked overload tech mines into the cylinders.

"Bomb is in position! We're all set here!" Alenko shouted to Williams over the radio. Her voice came through soon after, soft and panicked.

_"Commander! Can you read me?!"_

"Affirmative. What's the hold-up Williams? You've sent all but _three _STG men out of there. We've got Garrus, Captain Kirrahe and seven of his surviving boys down here with him. Get your ass along to the party, Ash!"

_"Sounds like fun, Skipper. But I don't think I'll be able to make it."_

"... Chief, what do you mean? Get to the rendezvous point ASAP! The nuke is _set_ and we're bugging out!"

_"Negative, Commander. Drop-ship reinforcements have us pinned down, I even saw Arterius! He killed Corporal Iziz like it was nothing! And he's on the war-path straight to the bomb site!"_

"Sit tight, Williams! I'm sending some of our people to get you!"

_"Negative! It's too hot! We can hold them off until you guys are away clean!"_

"The _hell_ you can! I'm sending Gabrilan, Tali and _eleven_ of our guys from the Villa! We have a _plan_, Ash! I am _not_ going to let you _martyr_ yourself after what we spoke about! We're going to have many more conversations like the one we had... Do you _hear me_, Ash?"

Silence crackled on the line.

"Chief... You are _not_ getting away from me _that_ easily, eh? Now prepare to receive reinforcements!"

"... Yes. Commander."

"That's my girl. Valhalla's not going to prepare your place at the table _just_ yet."

She turned to the rest of her assembled troops as Gabrilan led his contingent to the AA tower. "Dig in, everyone. Arterius is dropping by to _say hello!_ Joker... Take to the skies and survey Sovereign."

_"I'm on it!"_

Her N7 boys along with Kaidan guarded the bomb, who was working fast on a fail-safe revolving around an uninterruptible countdown sequence.

"Captain." Aran rested a hand on Kirrahe's shoulder. "You did a _magnificent_ job."

"Without _your_ intervention throughout the battle today we would have been _long_ defeated. Vakarian and Williams are two of the finest soldiers I've ever had the pleasure to fight alongside. But I think it's past time _you_ and _I_ held this line as one."

"I wouldn't have it_ any_ other way, Captain. Hold the left wing, I will be giving you my _personal_ biotic support."

"Excellent. I can't wait to see you in action, Commander. ...Shepard, if I don't make it back... I'd like you to - "

"GETH DROP-SHIP _INCOMING!_"

"HIT THE DECK!" Aran bellowed as she heard the unmistakeable humming burr of heavy weapon projectiles racing through the sky. "_BRACE FOR ARTILLERY SIEGE PULSES!_"

Impact detonations sent pillars of dust and water above, coupled with the still huge smog tower from the toppled Anti-Aircraft tower. It all served to occlude the Spectre's vision and that of her comrades.

"CONTROLLED FIRE!" Samus ordered, as they began to take out the Geth platforms that rained down on them. Soon enough, heavy troops like Juggernauts and Primes came in too large numbers to account for precision shooting and Aran quickly switched to: "_FIRE AT WILL!_" Bolstering shields with biotic barriers, switching up and replenishing ammo in a support role and deflecting missiles with her mind was not helping them drive the Geth off, though. Her place was in the thick of it. In the middle of the battlefield, her cradle and her home.

Wrex, Liara and Aran combined biotic fields for astonishing fluctuation effects that reshaped the battleground. The Salarians also threw their mastery of tech into the mix, reshaping every threat to suit their needs and pitting foe against foe. And the N7 marines seemed almost completely unstoppable when locked in with their STG counterparts. Pure ingenuity and technical mastery combined with merciless discipline and flawless improvisation resulted in a nearly perfect fighting force. At least, until _he_ intervened.

Saren's first biotic orb struck Servicewoman 2nd Class Gina Curtis in the chest and crushed her armour inwards by a fatal eight inches, sending her allies toppling in every direction. Kirrahe's men were likewise scattered when another sphere of dark energy crushed Corporal Duxn into green paste and Kaidan _just_ managed to stop Saren's third assault from snapping every bone in his body. Instead being hurtled into the silo and denting the brown metal.

Aran looked up from where she'd slain a Prime to see Saren Arterius standing in the open side-hatch of another Geth drop-ship as it made its first pass-by.

"Garrus! Jimmy! I'll give you both suppressing fire when he comes around again! PUT A BULLET IN THAT _SON OF A BITCH!_"

"Consider it done, Commander!"

"On it!"

Soon enough, the lines had devolved into a free for all. Everyone spread out and fighting for their lives. Vakarian yanked off his helm and tried to pull off several eye-balled shots on the rogue, but his shields and barrier flared into existence without fail and Arterius continued to bombard them with impunity.

"There!" The Turian renegade spat, pointing out Samus to his Krogan General as he leaned out of the deployment door. "Aran's down _there! _She's the one! Give me three nine point bores. I'm going to _end_ this...!"

As Samus engaged several more Primes in close quarters, the Battlemaster passed Saren his unique Geth interchangeable rifle. Arterius had modified it to switch seamlessly between automatic fire, charged shotgun, Javelin sharps and even a bio-hazard rocket launcher. He tucked the impressive Swiss-army weapon as his Krogan right-hand man loaded the three specialized stretch-spherical ammunition blocks into the disposable heat-sink pathways. Saren charged up the super-conductor cyan-flamed inferno chamber. Then pressured it into the extending AP module as he lined up the holographic sights; his ship circling over the war-zone below...

The newly minted Corporal Jamie Andrews had been serving alongside Samus Aran since the Normandy's maiden voyage and the subsequent shakedown in the Exodus system. When he saw the man who had killed his brothers-in-all-but-blood aim down the scope at his Commander. There was only one thing he _could_ do.

The three conjoined jets of cobalt lucent ferrofluid split the sky and traveled straight at Aran's back.

Jamie interposed his entire body between his friend and leader.

He was parted nearly in twain.

Aran felt the surge of heat penetrate through two layers of shielding and a burning in her side. Then she was rolling through the drainage ditch on her back with Andrews laid across her; covered in his life's blood and whimpering for his mother.

"Jim... Jimmy, _no_!" She grasped him in her lap, what was left him that muttered deliriously and shook with soon-to-be short-lived PTSD.

"Shepard... _Sam_... Fighting by your side - has been the _greatest - honour - of my life_... I - take my leave..."

He breathed his last, cradled in her arms.

It took a few seconds for Aran to realise her life's greatest and ultimate irony, once more. This was her fate. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

"... a ... aah... _aaaahhhhhAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!_" The red-stained ghost went Rambo on their asses, never letting up her continuous caterwaul of grief and fury.

Her first attack was sent at the man she loathed more at that very moment than Ridley himself. A detonate orb that shook his craft.

She crushed Primes into garbage cans, beat Krogan to death with her bare hands. And sprayed bullet walls of death into their ranks. Every foe fell before her as she cleared a path across the inlet yard single-handedly before reaching the embankment.

Arterius was making another turn above. Aran timed it perfectly; though she was lost behind a crimson veil.

A Battlemaster took her entire rifle's worth in his mouth until the clip overheated. She cast him down. Pulled her HMW pistol and fired rapidly into the massive hydrogen fuel tank, peppering it with holes and releasing the contents in clear jets. An overload pulse followed.

The explosion was such that the towering mushroom holocaust of burning star ship petrol disabled the Geth drop-ship's ME thrusters and began to pull the massive attack craft down in a spiral, the thick black smoke dragging it towards the earth and a deadly crash-landing.

Even as it seemed that Saren was completely undone. He jumped vertically to grab an overhead railing and flipped up, out and onto the curved roof. Running up the wasp tail of the vessel as it pitched, yawed and slanted downwards. He reached the very edge, leaving sparks from his clawed feet as he braced and leapt into the storm-swept sky with a fearsome growl.

His ship went up in a blue electric arcing fire-ball that propelled the rogue thirty feet through the air. The shock-wave carried him into a roll off the running water slope to land in a crouch and come up fighting.

"_COME ON!_" He snarled at the closest STG Operators, who rushed at him together.

Arterius swept his clawed right hand through one's heart and face-planted the other straight onto the stretched out nails of his one-legged squat. Destroying the Salarian's face. Kirrahe jumped to engage Saren as his men were butchered. The turncoat allowed him three blows before reversing the Captain's elbow joint lock, snapping his arm, spin-stomping his biceps femoris to the side and rabbit punching the Salarian Leader to his knees, who clutched his crushed wind-pipe, gasping in agony.

Garrus shoulder-barged Arterius aside before the cyborg Turian could rip Kirrahe's head from his body. Aran tried to reach them but was blocked by eight more heavy Prime-class platforms. The last thing she saw of Vakarian and Arterius before her reflexes took over was of them spitting the exact same single word at each other.

The former C-Sec Officer swept his rifle stock up and across Saren's jaw. The rogue let the whip-lash momentum revolve him around on the spot to elbow pop Garrus in the temple, sending him flying into the drink. Vakarian raised his rifle while prone on his back but only managed to get one failed shot in before Saren kicked the sharps from his hands. Garrus helicoptered his own legs, hooking Saren's hamstring in to bring him up close and into a cross-choke. Saren broke the strangle-hold easily, dug his fingers into the gaps of his foe's armour and nutted Aran's right-hand man on the nose, his second head-butt cracked Garrus' Kuwashii visor against the ground as he tried to turn his head to the side with the heavy impact, pushing Saren's face away with a braced arm to foil a repeat attack.

Snarling, Saren yanked and threw the nearly insensate Vakarian away by his neck and arm in an arcing motion, splashing him down in a heap ten feet away.

Garrus scrabbled in the watery muck as Arterius bared down on him, removing two talon karambits from his dual forearm holsters... Vakarian scooped up a handful of muddy waste, turned and threw the glob into the rogue Spectre's eyes.

Arterius was only distracted for a moment, as his biotics evaporated the foul substance, but a moment was all Vakarian needed. He dived in, two burst assaults stopping Saren's knife attacks cold. He kneed Arterius in the liver, heel-struck him under the chin, elbow slashed him in the temple and double punched him in the armpit and right carotid. Hits that would have floored any _ordinary_ Turian.

Such emphasis didn't apply to the _Prophet of Their Return_.

Saren's wrist looped Garrus's and before Vakarian could retreat, the monomolecular metal hissed into life with its ultra-sonic generator and sunk into his flesh.

Vakarian gasped in shock at the stab wound but he screamed in torment when Arterius cut his arm to the bone from pulse to shoulder and released a spray of blue mist.

But the Council's traitor wasn't done yet. He rolled Vakarian's other arm out in a downwards loop and sunk the second talon into his countryman's femoral artery straight up to the hilt. Vakarian fell over his spine and Saren surged upwards, punching Garrus in the cup and lifting him over his multi-spiked head to crash onto his front. Defeated.

The disgraced ex-Spectre took a moment to savour Aran's second cry of rue and ire. But she was still held-back from aiding her protegee by trying to take down three of the Geth's walking tank platforms that were harrying the wounded Salarians.

Garrus was a credit to his kind though, not a disgrace. And tried his best to rise, Arterius placed a foot on the base of his neck and shoved Garrus's head below the water line; suffocating him. He ground Vakarian into the sewage estuary's mucus-coloured bile until he was bashed off his feet; carted along by none other than Urdnot Wrex.

The Krogan Battlemaster surged back and butted Saren with all his might, sending the Turian renegade smashing into a wall.

"Pick on someone _worthy_ of you, Arterius!" He thundered.

"_Wrex_..." Saren pulled himself loose from the rubble, his mechanized exoskeletal armour having protected him from the bulk of the damage. "Thank you for giving me the - _opportunity_ to clean up a loose end..." He biotic blinked past the son of Tuchanka to the very tip of the embankment.

"You're going down, Saren!" Wrex bellowed, charging after him.

"What are you waiting for then?! I'm standing _right_ here!" Goaded Arterius.

Wrex's hands glowed as they were sheathed in biotic warp sparks; sprinting at full tilt. Arterius removed his collapsed cane from a secret compartment on his hard-suit and activated his maxe sword mode; sheathing it in a dark energy annihilation field with an experimental twirl. Wrex roared as he closed the gap and proceeded to try and batter the rogue Spectre to death. It was a test of speed, barrier strength, brute power and telekinetic manipulation. With Wrex coming off the better. He shrugged off any build-up swings of Saren's sword with his heavy Mercenary branded armour and formidable size, getting in close. Pummeling him around the head until his brains leaked from his ears, unfortunately, Arterius could be made physically deficient _many_ times thanks to his healing factor; Wrex's just made conventional injuries less of a danger. He biotically assist slammed Saren into the permacrete multiple times by his ankle, ripped out the tubing of one of his cranial implants and throttled him to death with it, even disemboweled the turncoat through the snaking cybernetics in his side.

Arterius soon retaliated. He put a new deep gash in Wrex's crest, severed choice tendons, tore away armour plating, (and stripped away a good layer of flesh), stabbed him several times in succession, set him alight, crushed redundant nerve sacs, tore two of his kidneys out and finally ran him through the Axilla and opposite Trapezius.

Wrex vomited blood over Saren.

"Is that the _best_ you've _got_, you _pansy?!_"

"Forgive me, _old friend_. I'll see you to your _proper_ accommodations!" He ripped his maxe free and biotic palm-struck Wrex above and off the cove's cliff, before pulling him through four pin-point lash terminal spots. Wrex was dashed against the rocks below, at three hundred miles an hour.

Before Arterius could even consider gloating over his victory. Aran barreled into him from behind. Dimly. He realised that he'd been stricken with over a dozen fatal gash wounds from her dual omni blades, one in the shape of a free-revolving trowel wedge, the other a three-pronged forearm vambrace. He spiraled through the air to land in a bloody mess while Aran knelt in her finishing position of lower gravity; one arm outstretched behind her with obscene grace having sent him flying with a lever throw to his resting spot.

Saren rose again, testing his back muscles before cricking his neck and pivoting to meet his rival. The wind and rain now picked up the pace, the storm was nearly above them now; whipping the trees and island vegetation. The smoke tower highlighting his blue glowing cybernetics.

"I _applaud_ you, Shepard. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the _real_ threat! An _impressive_ diversion... Of course it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have _accomplished_ here. You have proved to me you can't _possibly_ understand what is at stake."

Aran had deactivated both omni tools and she instead unholstered Euxenite.

"We have _nothing_ more to say to each other, Arterius. But I swear by the soul I don't have I am going to _kill you_."

Arterius planted his maxe in the thick stone and drew his own Spectre handgun.

"Strong words, Shepard. You promised as much _before_. Now let's see you _truly_ _enforce_ _them_."

They stood stock still. Aran used the slightest bit of her hidden power to begin a slow full-body scan of the bio-form before her... Then they raced to impact.

Both went for instant close-range head-shots, resulting in a cyan blazing cross-counter. Until both thermal clips were spent. Auditory combat filters protected their ear-drums from bursting. Arterius was stronger than she remembered, considering she was still relatively fresh and unimpeded. He swept her gun arm down to crack across his thigh and spring the pistol loose from her hand to spin across the slick granite.

Arterius brought his own gun to bear and Samus thrust her palm over and into the barrel, slamming the slide back forcibly and jamming the heat sink magazine in place, preventing a transition to manual cool-down; before adroitly manipulating his flexor and carpus joints to pluck and toss the pistol from his hand as well.

She slashed him with her crown, controlled the distance and allowed her reversed grip of Argyrodite, which she'd palmed without him noticing, to slam into his belly before pulling the trigger twice.

The Chozo hand cannon blew twin holes in Saren's tube patched torso. He punched desperately with his cybernetic arm but Aran moved him like a marionette. The Paralyzer transformed to its knuckle duster configuration and severed both of Arterius' robotic fingers as she countered his left cross, brought him nearly to his stomach, buffeted him with a standing knee dip slide. Revolved back, revolved under, her hips twisted with every iota of her magnificent suppleness as Aran launched from her lying position, spun full circle while twisting and shattering Saren's arm twice more to catch him across the face with both heels at full swing.

Aran's double kick sent Arterius helicoptering across the plateau to smash straight into the low lying quartz skirting. That made it an even three times the Hunter had ended the renegade's life. One more method of demise and Jamie would be avenged.

"Why _carry on_, Arterius?" She asked simply. "_Surrender._ This is _my_ war..."

"You've _seen_ the vision from the beacons, Shepard!" He implored her from where he lay, propping himself onto all fours. "You, of _all_ people, should _understand_ what the Reapers are capable of. They _cannot_ be stopped!"

"_Now_ who lacks the courage of their convictions. I suppose we shall see what becomes of such short-sightedness, _won't we?_"

Saren arced his back and rose to stand tall on his ankle strength alone, shouting across the arena at Samus. "Do not _mire_ yourself in _pointless_ revolt. Do not _sacrifice everything_ for the sake of _petty freedoms_! The Protheans tried to fight! And they were _utterly _destroyed."

"You - _first!_"

Aran power-sprinted but Arterius rocketed from his corner with a biotic charge that clothes-lined her. Aran allowed herself to lift off, then rebounded off two individually summoned biotic vectors to deliver a twirling axe kick atop Saren's head that smashed his skull in. She walked calmly away as Arterius regenerated once more.

"Futile..." He sneered as he crawled upright. "As long as the_ might of Sovereign _ flows through the _frailty_ of my _uplifted flesh_, I _cannot_ be killed."

"No matter how many times you stand..." She uttered. "I will _slay you_ each and _every_ time. And you can _tell_ yourself that mantra _a thousand times_. And I will put you down _a thousand more_."

"The Reapers were _right_ to be intrigued by you, Aran. But for _all_ your prowess, what can you _hope_ to accomplish where _an empire_ failed? _Trillions_ dead. But what if they _had_ bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans _still_ exist? Is submission not _preferable_ to extinction?"

"... _Never._"

Aran rained blows down on him as much as the drops plink-plunked against their striving forms. The lightning now straight above them. the Hunter's scan was at a measly 31% and Arterius was beginning to resist and counter Samus' attacks in earnest. Reaper nanites honing his reflexes as they learned from experience.

Samus had yirked Saren in the cavity under his arm, slashed his throat and even driven Argyrodite's variable Denzium blade up into his skull before they began to grapple and wrestle towards the edge of the inlet. Neither of them cared as they hurtled off the cliff, locked together and crashed down across the roaring surf and the relatively even ground, drenched with sea spray. Finally, flinging them apart in an explosion of brine liquid droplets.

"_Now_ you see why I never came forward with this to the Council." Arterius said as he spat out sea water; pulling himself to his feet while Aran removed and shrugged off the thermal clip bandoleer he'd managed to seize and pull her over the edge with. "We organics are driven by _emotion_, instead of _logic_. We will _fight_ even when we _know_ we cannot win!"

"Speak for _yourself_. I've seen into your heart, _remember_? You've unjustly _hated_ mankind. You were _angered_ at being supposedly _manipulated_. And even now you're _afraid_ the Reapers are _controlling your thoughts_. Small danger as that is to a petty little man such as _you_."

Arterius engaged, throwing several jab tests that Aran batted aside.

"I joined with Sovereign _knowing_ the risks! And I know more about _indoctrination_ than you _ever_ will!" He tried a right hook and Aran blocked, counter-struck and pushed his stance back along the tide polished surface before grabbing his follow-up fist and smashing it up into his face. Her greater height an advantaging factor. Saren staggered back and started rambling once again.

"The more control the Reapers exert, the less _capable_ the subject becomes! That is my - _saving grace_. My mind is _still_ my own... And though the transformation from ally to servant can be _subtle_, I will_ not_ let it happen to me!"

"It already _has_." She rejoined, moving in for another submission-hold. Saren managed to butt her in the sternum and execute another throw, Aran tore him off his clawed feet with her as well. But she landed half upright on her toes. Quite suddenly, he moved faster than ever as she rose and sunk a drill knuckle beneath the back of his rib cage. His witch-fire blue and purple glowing clawed right hand caught her across the helmet, shattered the tempered glass-steel and piercing the several layers of Non-Newtonian absorbent ceramic canopy before the kinetic force caught up and sent it flying off her head and into the rock pools below.

The blow whipped Aran to the ground but she was regarded as being able to turn every circumstance into an opportunity and took Arterius' stance out with a full x-wing leg sweep that brought him to the deck. Their ground fight continued until a wave broke them up again.

"Whisper one more secret in my ear, traitor. _What is the Conduit?_"

"The Conduit is the key to _your destruction_. And _my salvation_. Sovereign _needs_ my help to find it! _That_ is the reason why I have _not_ been indoctrinated!

"I hope it bothered to fit you with insulation, as well."

"What?"

Samus channeled three terrawatts worth of accumulated static electro-ball lightning through her hand, the water and straight up Saren's trunk. There was a flash like the sun, the smell of burning ozone and the rogue Spectre was smote against the landmass.

The Hunter didn't have long to rejoice, Saren leapt out of the horizontal impact crater, enveloped and crackling in standard and even orange-shifting biotic fields. The incredible amount of juice seemed to have super-charged his nanites to untold levels, shifting incandescent veins ran beneath his skin and his now fire-rimed, blazing cybernetic eye prostheses' gleamed with triumph and scorn.

"No. It _didn't_, just several _very_ efficient internal _power_ conductors. _Thank you_, Shepard..."

"... Oh. _Shit_."

Arterius' crossed the distance between them with ridiculous speed, leaving after-images behind. His first punch carved a swathe out of her armour. Aran was faster yet, a flurry of counter blocks, diversions and strikes with all the points of her arms, head and shoulders laid into him - and Saren stood stock still.

She disengaged and fell back.

Arterius ran his thumb along his effulgent mandible-line. "Is that all you've got left, _Sam?_"

Aran inwardly bristled at him using her nick-name, realising he must have heard it when she comforted Jamie in his last moments.

"You're not the _only one_ with _tricks_."

Argyrodite morphed from a set of iron knuckles to a basket-hilt broad sword. The straight Denzium blade turned hypersonic, the fuller white hot, the inner to outer patterns transitioning from bright yellow to cherry in a matter of seconds. With her other hand she pulled the HMW Spectre-issue assault rifle over her right shoulder and activated a home-made protocol. The stock split, slid onto her omni tool's fabricator mooring and became an honest to god arm cannon, the rifle de-compartmentalized along numerous hidden ridges, the twin hydro-crank chainsaw teeth belts growled to life along two planes and were subject to thermal friction at fantastic speed; rendering them ultra-heated as well.

She whirled the sword and what was effectively a _nun-chuck chainsaw_ around thrice; sending up rings of steam as they struck the water.

"Impressive... _Most_ impressive." Saren acknowledged with a cursory tilt of the head. "Now... Show me a _good time_, Sam!"

Bouts between consummate death-dealing professionals were often short and sweet. They passed multiple times, sometimes Saren got the better of his opponent, more often it was Samus. But for every strike gained, Arterius either absorbed more kinetic power, healed his injuries, or nullified her ministrations completely. While Aran's armour began to be gouged, scorched, cracked, sliced and blackened.

What was once a mortal contest filled with grace, poise and even some curious honour: quickly devolved into Samus killing her hated foe again and again, no matter what it cost her to achieve.

But Arterius was nowhere near as easily dispatched as before. His body covered in glowing battle grooves.

"Why won't you die?" Aran gasped slightly. The sheer amount of energy she'd been expending the entire day and much of the night before finally getting to her.

"_Nano-machines_, Sam!" Arterius gloated as he clenched his fist, molten hexagons alighting under the bulging flesh of his Geth arm like some sort of mockery to a naturally growing crustacean's shell.

"They anneal and ossify in response to physical trauma! After all, it was your people that were often attributed as saying... _You can't kill the Messiah_."

"_That_ is debatable. What _isn't_ is whether the Reapers will let us _live_."

"Sovereign is _a_ _machine! _It _thinks_ like a machine! If I _prove my value_, I become a resource _worth maintaining!_ There is _no other logical conclusion!_"

"You were _a Spectre!_" Aran condemned with every drop of righteous rage that roiled within her breast; striking out again with her chainsaw whip three-section staff and defending with her sword, Arterius' hands were marked further as he parried them. "_You_ were _sworn_ to defend _the Galaxy! _You _spat on_ and stood up to be counted against _everything_ that duty _stands_ _for!_ And worst of all... _You_ _desecrated that vow_ _to save yourself!_"

"I'm not _doing this_ for _myself!" _He screamed, grabbing her heat blade with help from his biotics while the buzzing chains wrapped around his other arm. "Don't you _see_, _Sam?!_ Sovereign _will_ succeed. It is _inevitable!_ _My way_ - is the only way _any of us_ will survive! I'm forging an alliance between _us_ and _the Reapers_. Between _organics_, and _machines!_ And in _doing so_ - I will _save more lives_ than have _ever_ existed! But _you_ would undo my work! You would _doom_ our _entire civilization_, to _complete annihilation!_ And for that - you must _die_."

This time Arterius didn't play with his food, he broke the blade-lock and came at Aran with everything he had. The inflicted fissures on his arms occasionally burst out with accumulated kinetic power, knocking her off her guard, cracking her armour to the extent that he scored several lethal blows of his own for the first time during their skirmish. Aran was forced to telekinetically apply a trauma dose of medi gel to staunch her injuries, then proceeded to fire both gun blades at close range, while simultaneously swinging them; managing to kill Saren once more. Not letting on how horrified she was when his gray matter, flesh and bone healed within _milliseconds_. When she tried to duplicate the technique, Saren deflected the stream of hailing bullets off his empty claytronic protected palm, ricocheting them in every direction before pushing the stream back so close that her HMW was totaled into so much scrap metal; leaving Aran with the nugatory measure of breaking the gun against his head.

For a second their combined speed was so great neither touched the other with their weapons. Until they came close and drove them through each other's abdomens.

Their grapple intensified, both stuck on sharp implements as they sallied back and forth. Saren manged to drive an ME lengthened shard of metal from his truncated robotic finger straight into Aran's right eye. She didn't even flinch, much to the former Spectre's dismay, pushing both of his stickers free from her stolid musculature and stomp punting him in the chest, flinging him off her sword to flip over and onto his dorsum as he slid away.

In answer, he biotic lashed Argyrodite out of her hand and up to the geothermal drainage pool above as she raised it for a jump attack, then flash-stepped; pushing four inches of filed nail into her chest to touch bone once more. Samus' only complaint was an aggravated grunt, then she drew him close, gripped the base of Saren's skull and tried to rip his brain-stem out, her crushing, probing fingers like steel rods finding much more success; since the Reaper nanites reacted to intent and not to speed. Arterius slammed her elbow crook with a hammer fist, rattling but not breaking her grip, then he tried an overhead double-fist smash, Aran weaved and pulled a tripartite Chozo technique that resulted in an upper nasal strike, clavicle chop and elbow to ear slam in the same time it would take anyone else to jab once.

Saren was rocked back and around by the blows. But Aran was far too experienced a warrior to fall for his elbow wheel rebuke, catching his triceps and loading said arm. The renegade's other repeated elbow strikes backwards over his shoulder freed him from the pressure-point clinch and he responded in kind.

He believed he's snapped Aran's wrist as he reversed the joint manipulation then tried to jab both thumbs into her temples. But Samus had baited the injury, burst knocking him off balance then twisting his arms under from the front with her own and gripping his skull in both hands, she proceeded to stave in both his mechanical eyes with her own thumb pads. Arterius screamed as she did so, kneeing her in the fork of her legs, slamming her crooks, Aran replied by bashing him with her head, launching his guard high, then bringing both her knife hands to chop down into his carotid arteries on both sides of his neck with twin meaty thumps.

Arterius shrugged off the death blows once _again_ and then he charged and lifted her off the ground, trying to pop Aran's vertebrae with a bear hug. His strength unbelievable. Samus spasmed under his constriction while the rapidly approaching invulnerable sadistic maniac laughed cruelly at her helpless plight.

Aran tore the top of her ruined cuirass off, then she bobbed her torso down to Saren's jeering death-mask of a face with that same uncanny flexibility that was her's alone to employ and managed to curl her digits over both rows of fangs to prise his open jaw further apart, ignoring how they sunk into her flesh. Arterius gurgled and twisted as Aran pulled his masseter muscles in opposite directions so wide and hard that his cheeks began to _rip_ from their metallic moorings. The sound he made was indescribable.

Samus bobbed her head down and fastened her teeth onto his wriggling tongue. Then she bit down and tore it up and out by the root.

The gurgling turncoat drowned to death on his own greyish blood as Aran forcibly held his head angled back. A shame he lurched up moments later after releasing Aran to writhe in the seaweed. Samus spat the giblet of meat into the ocean and checked her scan. It was at last complete. She absorbed the information in an instant but was disheartened to notice that her retinal HUD displayed the total energy reserves of Saren's nanites. They were _still_ at fifty four percent power.

The Hunter attempted a rear-naked choke as his maddened assault lumbered past her. But Arterius unfolded her right hand, grabbed her pinky finger and snapped it. When that failed to free him; he managed to dislodge the first three metacarpal bones running from it instead, causing Aran to utter a short exhalation and release him. Saren ripped her arm away, loaded it, and a cyan blue, double-pronged Geth omni blade sprang to life on his right hand.

Although he aimed for her spine. Aran twisted and his heat daggers plunged into her palm instead. Aran did the unexpected and maimed her own hand _further_ as she pulled away, disintegrating the sinew and nerves between her fingers and allowing her to roll the momentum around so that Saren stabbed himself straight in the wiring of his own cyborg arm's humerus gap and disabled it momentarily. The look on his face was priceless.

Aran drew on her reserves, sealed her crippled hand in a stasis bubble and laid into him with all her might. A never-ceasing set of chain punch volleys that would have toppled a Krogan War Droid and made the haruspex of the Geth's plates glow red with friction, not to mention splintering what was left of _her_ gauntlets and vambraces into ceramic ruins.

She got his 'health' down to forty three percent after a good thousand blows. Aran wound back then swung up and between his guard. Saren was pitched back by the ungodly L-uppercut, only his clawed feet digging into the rock stopped him from flying into the air. She grabbed his omni tool and turned it inwards, splitting his own organic hand in two vertically. He grit his fangs, hissing in agony while he exclaimed in fury and his arm chose just that right moment to come back online; smacking her away like chaff with the accumulated kinetic power she'd been foisting him with.

He ran flat out and spun her around to drive a biotic knee into her face, smashing her nose in and throwing her on her back. He hoisted her up by gripping her around the head and by her arm, claws scraping across her skull and leaving two flayed rivers. He crushed one omni tool into gelatin before extracting the other from under her flesh with his red-shifting nails, allowing him to carve out her other hand's ligaments as she'd inflicted on herself. Then he brought her down with an anaconda suplex, delivered three equally forceful punches to alternating sides of her groin, before bringing his knee up into her throat; reeling her with a one-two hit combo and finally laying her down in the rainy puddles with a power swing to the temple.

"It's _over_, Sam. Don't _fight me_ any longer..." He breathed heavily, looking down on his weary foe. Or was she...?

"... Hee, hee, hee, hee, heee." Aran giggled deadpan through the streams of blood running down her face. She struggled up to rest on her calves, maimed arms lying on her lap passively. She looked a fright as she looked up at him with a certain cheeky cleverness as if she were privy to a hidden joke.

Arterius was mildly unsettled to say the least.

"I'm getting_ tired_ of besting the _best_. Aran - " He began to say, but her voice of iron could always cut across him.

"A _pity_. These _scrapes_ aren't even _your_ victories. They're _your_ _Master's_. And even better..." And she grinned through bloodied teeth. "Is the fact that it doesn't even _matter_ if I die here today. The cycle of extinction _will_ end. My friends, my people - will carry on the fight. They know what I know. And I can see it all once more with clarity. While you... _You_ will die knowing _everything_ you fought for was _a lie_."

"What _madness_ do you speak? You can _barely _stand."

Saren summoned his free-floating plasma push dagger set once more. He was about to seize her by the hair to deliver the fatal blow when she stood before him. And not just stood, she made it to her feet as if the punishment he'd dealt out to her over the last few minutes was as _nothing_.

"Perhaps... Perhaps I _was_ siting there because I simply lacked the strength to stand. Then again... After some consideration - maybe I_ can _stand after all. And when it comes to hurting people; _you're_ _not the only one with an imagination_... Look behind you."

Arterius did no such thing. And suddenly he was dying every second.

Liara subjected him to a certain rarely taught rapid burst miniature stasis bubble field technique. _Inside of his his own head_.

She'd killed him fourteen times before her implant shut down due to her own caloric exhaustion.

A grain entered through the delicate adjoining filaments of Saren's right eye as he lurched about and the round bounced around inside his skull. Garrus stood above on the cliff, patched up, rifle in hand; watching with grim satisfaction as Arterius' own enhancements killed him eight times over again.

Flickering St. Elmo's fire engulfed the renegade from the inside out, detonating multiple times until he looked like Guy Fawkes on the 5th of November. Wrex emerged from the sea, battle-ravaged, hump crushed in at one spot and broken all over but ready to do his part nonetheless.

A massive explosion shook the facility and Samus knew that Tali, Gabrilan and Ash must have taken down the second of the three drop-ships. Her heart nearly burst with that same honest pride in their abilities.

Saren floundered without a paddle. His nanites' energy pool at a measly three percent. Samus rushed him, caught him in an intricate grapple and revolved through the air like a Catherine Wheel. It was a move she'd mastered when she was merely six years old and unlike any time before, this time she abandoned all restraints. Much of her early training and conditioning had been about overcoming increasingly difficult body-weight strength exercises. To this day, Aran felt like she was walking across the surface of Zebes, courtesy of a now deeply intrinsically deep-seated Psionic block that had been instilled in her since childhood. This had kept her lean and tapered for greater challenges. And then there were the times when she just needed to cut loose and show her _true power_.

Samus broke his spine into a fusilli strand such was the force she applied with her revolutions. Her finisher resulted in her spin hurl planting him against the pumice stone edge of the rocky cove and crunching his exoskeleton's rachis partitions straight inwards in an echoing back-breaker that echoed the length and breadth of the cove.

The four warriors had brought Sovereign's Prophet low. But even then. Arterius would not be allowed to die unless his body could be removed from the Reaper's sphere of influence. Which even then, might include long-wave communication from his assorted brethren...

Wrex and Garrus stepped up, Aran indicated her forlorn hands. "I'd do it myself but... Hah... Cuff him boys."

A scarlet beam split the clouds even as the rain died. It appeared to be some four miles off. The sea churned, swelled and headed towards them.

"... _No_." Samus moaned. "You - clever - _bastard_."

T'Soni and even Aran were far too biotically exhausted to protect themselves from the sun drenched tsunami as the rain stopped and Hoc shone down on them once more. It swept everyone present back up into the breeding ground's artificial fjord, now filled with draining water and washing what little troops still stood off their feet and around the massive sluice bank.

And Arterius, he was given _more_ than enough kinetic reimbursement from the violent wave surfing trip to unleash it _all_ in a sphere of brilliant orange-shifting telekinetic power; sending his enemies to his feet in a shock-wave of sea water and his nanites' power supply burgeoning up to single digit percentiles once more.

He pulled his crumpled armour plates back into shape biotically and drew his unique Geth rifle from his armour's, undamaged, hidden compartment, executing downed disoriented N7 marines and STG Operators as he wondered. Then he saw who he'd been seeking.

Aran was stunned, brain-fizzed from swallowing too much water and sweeping her useless hands through the murky machine-made lagoon to locate one of her lost weapons. Through a haze, she could just see Vasquez, bleeding from a mortal wound and one arm severed, leaping onto a grenade, then for good measure, rolling into the last pocket of Primes with all of _his_ grenades on manual detonator and wiping them out in a gory suicide strike.

Arterius strode forth, enjoying her seemingly growing dread, aiming at her prone form.

Bursts of auto-fire flared his barrier. Saren transitioned his rifle one-handed in the offending direction and shot Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko through the chest, shredding his shields and hard suit and causing him to flail back to land spreadeagled on top of the bomb.

Saren now peppered Samus with toroid grains, the pulse round shots cracked her barrier and the last burst broke through and slammed straight into her skull, burning clumps of her hair off and knocking her down with greater force than any punch had; before his lithium sink timely overheated.

Snarling, Arterius cast the gun aside; skipping it across the surface, another _useless_ tool. He marched in close and swept his right arm down in a scooping motion as he moved, dragging his enemy by the throat. Aran regained consciousness with a start, she flailed, trying to find purchase on the slimy drainage ditch but found none. The rogue clutched her nape with both grasping, hateful, atavistic hands and with a whirl of sea spray and water droplets; Arterius hoisted Aran into the air with elephantine strength. The clawed talons of his organic appendage wrapped around her powerful support column like a living hang-man's noose.

He flexed his tightening, gibbous arm, trying to sever her spinal cord in one fell swoop. She pressed down on his wrist with both ruined hands, trying to alleviate the pressure as the pillar of her neck now supported her entire weight. Arterius glanced around in glee, none of her compatriots had recovered from the tidal wave to aid their Commander.

Samus couldn't quite believe this was how it was going to end, she knew her platysma muscles would soon cramp under the strain and then Arterius would kill her like an alligator would a gazelle. Unless... One last trick...

She Psionically severed his link from Sovereign, just for a split second. He didn't know she could only do it temporarily and her psychometric grip on his joint helped in the abruptness of the endeavor.

Arterius whipped his head madly, deranged at the silence and relaxed his elbow joint for _just_ a moment, bringing him within range.

The Hunter reared back even when trapped in the jaws of death and did much more than spit in its eye. She lost her Psionically weighted and therefore prohibitively weakened arm's restrictions and by doing so; increased her swinging power eightfold.

Though it was a messy brawler lob. The punch was far too fast for even the Reaper nanites to see coming. And had the raw strength of the last child of the Chozo behind it.

The Prophet was smote to the ground. Dead but for an instant before his masters dragged him from the depths of whatever hell he'd been plunged into.

And then he knew doubt... Then he knew _fear_.

He ran.

The freed Devil found one gun, then the other as she knelt in the waters of the soon to be doomed base. Garrus was by her side, helping her hold Argyrodite upright for her, to load in a feeding belt of thermal clips while he activated the cooling program on his omni tool, knowing instinctively what she wanted to do.

As Arterius fled, his enemies rising to face his evil and his ignorance, encircling around him. He punished his body for all it was worth while Vakarian helped his Commander to steady on her knee and aim at his fleeing back.

The first overclocked round found his spine and shrapnel-blasted straight through.

The second found his cranium and sent one of his unique head spines flying away as it grazed along his face.

He leapt forty feet up to the deployment door of the last Geth drop-ship, the waiting Krogan Warlord grabbing his hand as he fell short and pulling him up into the surviving transport.

The last would have penetrated his brain-stem through his larynx and knocked him sailing out of the bird if he hadn't pulled his erstwhile ally into its path in his place; letting the ruined form drop from the carrier like dead meat. He affixed his line-of-sight against Aran's pitiless gaze before the ship turned and jetted into the sky.

A klaxon alarm blared through the base, signaling a full retreat of all still inhabiting forces. Garrus supported his Commander, though she was soon keeping _him_ from falling. She hauled an unconscious Kaidan up and over to lay against her shoulders with one arm and kept her men close as they, Liara, Wrex, Kirrahe, five surviving N7's marines and two STG operators still standing made for the Normandy as she swept in and hovered at the top of the embankment. It was a long, arduous climb for most but they made it none the less; clambering aboard.

"Joker." Samus rasped. "We have _one_ minute, pick the others up. _Now_."

_"Secure and aweigh!"_

Normandy pivoted on her wings and raced to the ruined tower. Where Tali, Gabrilan, Ash and seven, two, survivors on the Alliance, STG equation awaited. They scrambled on to the stealth frigate post haste.

Then Sovereign's pulse beam rays were erupting around them.

"Fly, Jeff! _FLY!_" Aran yelled to the heavens.

The stealth frigate hared away from the Nuvese Archipelago. The Old Machine was far too slow in the atmosphere to remain on her tail at speed and even as the Hunter raced up an emergency ladder to get the wounded to sickbay - she was already running to the cockpit.

And then she saw it.

The nuke impact horizon lit the northern hemisphere as they tore free of the planet.

"Alright everybody! Hang on!" Joker warned.

The fusion detonation swept the seas for what must have been a good three hundred miles.

"BURN IN _HELL!_ _AH!_HA!HA!HA!HA!HA!_HAAAAAAA!_" Aran cackled in triumph, certain that _nothing_ could have survived an impact centre of such total despoliation.

"Commander..."

"_WHAT?!_"

Joker's voice came out in the tiniest squeak.

"There's something on LADAR."

Aran paused, frozen like a statue with a very unflattering look on her face. Then she rushed over to the co-pilot's chair and took in the readings.

"... Get us out of here, Joker... Nearest port of safety. And take the Relay... Sorry about the whole, crazy blood-lust thing."

"No problem!" Jeff said shakily. "Hope it doesn't happen _too_ often!"

"Hm... Ah, _Gray_, if you could... Heh. _Look_ at me, I must be scaring you to death right now."

"Not at all!"

"You can _stop_ that, Jeff."

"Stop what?!"

"_That_... I have to... to _go_."

"Did? - " He swiveled the chair and stood for his Commander. "Did everyone make it?"

No answer was forthcoming. Then.

"... No."

Aran began to discard what little apparel she had, covered as she was in slime, petrol and blood of her own and others, leaving her holsters, belts and weapons scattered behind her as she walked along the Command Centre. Her crew shrinking back at the sight of her. She didn't stop until she reached her quarters, peeled off the ruined Spectre armour and turned the shower on hot full blast, standing there isolated from the world. Only the ball chains of the men and women who had fallen were wrapped around her forearm. And the links that bound her to their fallen spirits...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They did their duty. Soldiers live and soldiers die. And no-one. Not even _Aran_, can change that. Next week. Fallout, team comfort and re-affirmation, every squad member will get a check-in. Saren's Achilles heel revealed. Reaper anatomy lesson, this Cycle's accumulation accelerates, the Hunter is poised to reveal all to the Council and the true magnitude of the threat. But first, the Keres Cell approaches The Raging Devil and the Shadow Broker steps forth...  
><strong>


	36. Probity and Tenebrosity

**A/N: I can see the home-stretch now!  
><strong>

_"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."_

_(James A. Baldwin)_

_"Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes."_

_(Carl Gustav Jung)_

**Probity and Tenebrosity **

"How are they, doc?"

"They were in nearly _critical_ condition, Commander. But Kaidan and Wrex will pull through. And Garrus and Kirrahe will be back to full strength within the week's end. They're fighters, Shepard. Of that, there is no doubt."

"... Thank goodness. Variance has smiled on us_ slightly_ at least..."

"Sam... Jamie was a _fine_ young man. The mission was a _success _in no small part due to him. Even if you _didn't_ retrieve his body he would - "

"Good day, Doctor Chakwas."

"_Samus_, those wounds of yours are _debilitating_ and require that I - "

"Do, _nothing_. I've had worse in the past, Karin. My people will _always_ take precedence above my hurts."

"Commander, you took _gunfire_ to your vertex! Not to mention _numerous_ inflictions of invasive distortion field lacerations. My scanner shows your nerve receptor's threshold tolerance _can_ and _has_ been _overridden_!"

"A nasty side-effect of tangling with a warp wielder... At the end of the day... It's only _pain_. I have no danger of catching an infection either. You will leave - me - _be_. That's _an order_."

"... Yes, Commander."

The Hunter was a mess. Hands and forearms wrapped, a multitude of plasters on her face and nose and two larger blood-stained pads over her eye and scalp. It would take her healing factor a good few days to fully counteract the warp sparks eating her alive from the inside out; and even longer for the complex sinew in her hands to regrow and acclimatize with intensive physical, and mental, therapy.

With a groan, Aran sunk down onto the side edge of her bed, having finished her report to the Council on the battle of Virmire with her mind. She hissed lowly as she awkwardly peeled the recently fresh but now sweat-soaked Alliance fatigue off her bruised and cut torso. Her dress shirt underneath was also drenched with perspiration along with half congealed blood from the numerous wounds she'd taken on the last mission.

Some rest would do her a Galaxy of good.

Only as she was preparing to take forty winks, the door to her quarters hissed back to reveal Dr. T'Soni; with a first aid kit of her own.

"_Oh_... not you _too_, Liara." Sam groused halfheartedly.

"You haven't let _anyone_ check on you." Her partner admonished, quickly hurrying over to sit with Aran and help her pull the shirt off her aching limbs. Which elicited fresh gasps of discomfort from Aran.

"You may _look_ the same," the Maiden massaged a patch on her lover's back that wasn't mottled green and purple. "But you're not the woman you once were all those eons ago."

"It's not the_ years_, honey. It's _the mileage_."

"Here, let me see to those," Liara continued, soaking a cotton pad in an antiseptic and trying to dab at the rents, scrapes, clefts and abrasions Saren had inflicted.

"T'Soni... Leave me _alone_... I don't _need_ a nurse... I just need to _sleep_..." She protested, trying to ward the Asari archaeologist away with bare feet playfully as she leant back to lie down on her pillows.

Liara countered by tucking Aran's now feeble legs up onto the duvet and hopping into the bed to straddle her Commander without a care.

"Don't be such _a baby_. Where does it hurt?"

"Ow, Liara, stop that... Yes, it _does_ hurt... _Ouch!_"

Liara had pressed down a wee bit too hard on a stinging lesion over the pectorals of her left lung, causing the Hunter to nearly buck her off she flinched so hard.

"Well _by the goddess_, Shepard! Where _doesn't_ it hurt?" Liara snapped forcibly, stopping Samus' smarting throes in her tracks.

Wide-eyed and somewhere between feeling vexed and astonished. Aran affected a sullen look and tapped her raised elbow.

"Here!" She demanded with a touch of jejune. Liara kissed the area with similar venturing impetuosity.

Though she would sooner die than admit it; Aran was already starting to enjoy this game.

"... And here...!" She indicated her bandaged scalp. T'Soni removed the roll with the utmost gentleness and laid her lips against her forehead; slower and softer this time.

Aran was becoming well and truly undone now; though none would be able to tell as she was nearly rigid where she lay.

"There's not so bad, either." Sam gestured to her right eye. With the careful deftness of her profession Liara lifted away the absorption pad to reveal the blood-shot, darkened but nearly pristine orb blinking at her; the last time she had seen the wound she was sure her paramour would be blind-sided for the rest of her life but the degree of cellular healing that Aran's physiology was capable of still took her breath away.

Even then, Liara kissed her ever so tenderly over Sam's closed eyelid, as if afraid of damaging her recovery.

Increasingly drowsy, Aran tapped her own lips with a surprisingly high degree of uncertainty. And growing arousal.

"... Here." She murmured.

Liara kissed her, deep and urgent as she lavished her spirit with _Agápe. _Which the Hunter returned with equal contentment; until she fell into blissful, snoring slumber. T'Soni watching over her...

* * *

><p>A certain member of Clan Urdnot griped and grumbled as Tali tried to remove the solid chunks of sea basalt buried in his hump. The excruciating torment reminded him of his Rite, he hadn't known suffering like this for quite a while.<p>

"Hold _still_, Wrex!"

"I'm - _trying_! Blast it! ... Thought you Quarians were supposed to have _nimble_ fingers. And - "

'RIIP-CHUNK!'

"_ARGH!_" Wrex roared as Samus pulled the deeply embedded shrapnel out in one clean go, sending the pieces he'd been unwilling to let Chakwas attempt to remove flying out of his back with her biotics to clatter onto the deck noisily.

"Grow a quad, Battlemaster." Aran sniffed lazily. "We've _both_ suffered far worse than those pin-pricks."

"Hah!" Wrex barked as he raised himself up from his stomach. "Only _you_ could get away with talking to me like that. Well, you and Aleena."

"And me!" Tali chirped.

"Yeah... you too, little one."

The wandering Chozo hybrid and the deposed Krogan warlord faced each other for a moment's comfortable silence. Which Wrex finally disturbed.

"Look, Commander... Things got heated back on Virmire... I want you to know that I respect your choice. And I truly _value_ your friendship."

"So we're friends, huh? Thought you liked Liara more than me."

"I _do_. But I would never _dream_ of doing you the disservice of _not_ seeing you as potentially the most _terrible threat_ my people could ever hope to face before our end. You could be our _deliverer_, or _our damnation_, Shepard. After _yesterday_, I've considered for the first time in my life that you _could_ be the former... There's no greater honour I could possibly give you."

"I appreciate that, Wrex. As well as your faith in my ability to reward you a grisly demise. You've made a very wise choice today."

"Just make sure it was _worth it_... Saren needs to _pay_ for _all_ that he's done."

"One way or another, I'm going to hunt him down and kill that sick fuck."

"I like the sound of that." Wrex rumbled darkly. "But how are you going to do it?"

"Sovereign's injected him with a nanite infusion from its primary computing processor. _Extremely_ powerful, some of the most advanced miniaturized synthetics I've ever had the _good fortune_ to analyze. Thankfully, the sample is unique enough to Sovereign's hardware that they can't be replaced easily. But doing enough damage to destroy them in one go is the problem. The energy source he's drawing off is simply too great... But that connection is a double-edged sword. And the injectors variably run up his spine at different points. I might have finished him on Virmire with sheer dumb luck. But I won't be relying on that when we meet again... Next time, he's _finished_."

Tali sidled up to the pair.

"It feels like we're getting near the end, doesn't it? With Saren, I mean."

"It'll all be over soon, Tal... Then you'll be leaving us I imagine..."

"When I go back to my people, I'll be glad to say I was a part of this."

"An _important_ part. We couldn't have even done _half_ of this without you."

"Sam... You've been_ good_ to me. A lot of people treat Quarians like second-class citizens. They just want us to go back to the Flotilla and disappear. But you've treated me just like everyone else on your crew - "

"I should _hope_ not, you've got a much more special place than that."

"Heh, I meant as an _equal_. That means a lot and it says something about you. Whatever happens, I just want to say, thank you for that..."

Aran swallowed a lump in her throat.

"Ghosts, I'm going to miss you."

"Not anytime soon you're not. I'll be right here anytime you need me."

"I know, Tali. And thank you."

* * *

><p>"Skipper," Ash stood along with a pale Kaidan as soon as her superior officer entered the communications room. "<em>Jesus<em>... You look like you were run over with a lawnmower!"

"Heh, and I _feel_ like it as well. Should have seen what I did to _Saren _in turn. We sent him running with his tail between his legs."

"That is _great news_, Skipper. I - we just _have_ to come out and say this..." She clasped the LT's hand in her own for support; an action that wasn't lost on the Hunter.

"_Thank you_, Commander. Thing's got pretty crazy down there. You saved my life."

"_Both_ our lives. I don't know how you did it: turning an army away, _and_ fighting Saren, organizing us all to fall back in relative safety, keeping Sovereign off our backs... The Alliance will come up with a whole new medal for what you pulled off here."

"If they don't _court-martial_ you first!" Williams half joked, half condemned. "You endangered the entire mission! Why didn't you just leave one of us behind?"

"_No-one_ get's left behind." Aran nearly choked on her words, clutching the war-torn dog tags of nine good soldiers and one young friend. "_Not_ while I'm in charge. Not when it can be helped. And not when a subordinate decided to take certain parameters of the mission into her own hands..."

Williams had the grace to look shamefaced.

"I would have gladly stayed behind..." She mumbled quietly, unable to bear the sheer malice and scorn that seemed to radiate from the Hunter's unequivocal glare.

Samus opened her mouth for a stinging rebuttal, then thought otherwise; deflating where she stood until she no longer seemed to be the formidable individual the Universe knew her as.

"You desired to redeem your grandfather's honour. You longed to _avenge him_ from those politicking ball-cutters who relegated him to infamy and black-listed the Williams family... You fought for what you _believed in_ yesterday, Ash. You_ all_ did. In theory I can't condemn that because it's what I encouraged you to do. But... To throw yourself on that sword... You are _better_ than what you think yourself to be..."

"That's not _fair_."

"_Please_. What's done is _done_. I'm _not_ your big sis, Ash. Even if I _want_ to be. Let's not argue anymore... Please..."

"Oh, Sam..." She hugged Aran tearfully, which the ancient Defender returned as best as she could, given her splinted hands, before kissing Ash hard on the cheek; which stunned the Gunnery Chief silly.

"Besides," Samus added, clearing her throat gruffly. "Too many people _always_ fall on the field. Jamie... He _died_ for me. He died _for us_, he died _proud_."

Kaidan was quick to assuage his Squad Leader. "We might have tried, Commander. But I don't think for _a second_ that either one of us could have pulled this off. Anyone else, I'd say they got_ lucky_. The fact that any _more_ of our compliment didn't go down as KIA yesterday - is nothing short of _a miracle_."

"LT's right. No-one else could have made a stunt like that work. Put anyone else in charge of a commando team and they all get left behind. Disposable-like. Or the mission fails. _Neither_ one of those happened, Commander. Now I want you to get this straight, ma'am... You - are - a - _hero_!"

"_These_..." She ushered solemnly, wrapping and adjusting the identification tag chains around her arm. "Are the only heroes I know..."

Behind the three of them, the doors slid apart to admit the rest of the team: Tali, Liara, Garrus, Wrex and even Kirrahe.

"Commander Shepard," the head of the Salarian STG Regiment greeted her with the sign of the Legion. "I salute you and all your officers."

"Which I return with all my strength, Captain Kirrahe. Your losses were catastrophic; they'll be honoured."

"The cold reality every soldier must face. They would not be at our sides if they were not up to such a task. The actions of Corporal Andrews have garnered a great deal of respect from my people. You command _exceptional loyalty_."

"We _do_ what we _must_."

"Of course. I want you to know without reservation that you have made _an ally_ of the Salarian people, Aran. We _will_ work together again one day, I am _certain_ of it."

"_Nothing_ would please me more. Please, sit with us, Kirrahe."

"I'd be _honoured_."

Every chair was filled, though Aran was sorely aware that of the men standing guard on the bridge. None of them were the boys she'd met back on Earth. The other Officers of the Normandy were given extra sitting accommodations among the ground team while Captain David Anderson and Admiral Steven Hackett watched the proceedings from their video links Garrus had set up for them.

"The mission was a complete success." She proclaimed. "We cut off Saren's army at its source and discovered Intel that has proven without a doubt, several of my long-standing theories... I will deliver all our accumulated evidence to the Council in several redacted files for the sake of Galactic Security. Which Gabrilan and several other Agents are already on their way to the Citadel to testify as to its _absolute_ authenticity. I've also gathered you all here to witness the last recorded testament of a Prothean beacon vision, the method by which you will witness this_ cannot_ be imparted to anyone outside the highest echelons of your respective governments. So Wrex, keep this to yourself."

With the ice cracked if not broken, the lights dimmed and Aran and Liara stood together

"Dr. Chakwas, monitor my vitals... Pressly, begin recording... "

"Yes, ma'am."

"Try to relax, Commander... Embrace eternity!"

T'Soni submerged herself in what parts of Aran's consciousness she was permitted entry, the two beacons now formed the full warning sent out by the last of the Protheans. She saw images, images of an paelological site mired in antiquity and legend, mentioned in several surviving Prothean manuscripts...

An outpouring swirl of green and orange holographic lights emitted from Aran's eyes and formed into an indistinct VI interface that was imposed over her.

_"Act of desperation... the Conduit... Cannot be stopped... Can... not... be... stopped!" _She spoke in a voice that was also not her own. Eventually, the static settled and Aran enunciated clearly for all to hear, with the soothing tone of a quiet, reserved male that spoke through her via the encoded memories. Though her lips did not move due to her ventriloquism.

_"You are not Prothean, b__ut you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons." _

"Who are you?" Liara asked.

_"I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility. But I am known as Vigil. You are safe for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon - nowhere will be safe." _

"What do you want from us?" Garrus questioned, leaning forward in his seat, enthralled.

_"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is in actuality an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the Galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed."  
><em>

Everyone was stunned beyond words.

"So if Saren activates it, the Reapers will wipe out the Council and the Citadel fleet in one fell swoop!" Kirrahe exclaimed.

_"That was our fate," _Vigil replied. _"Our leaders were dead before we even realised we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel, and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."  
><em>

"And why did you not fall to your knees in supplication? Would they not have let some of you live?" Aran posed to Vigil for the first time.

_"No offer of surrender was ever given. Our enemy had a single goal: the extinction of all advanced organic life. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, star-charts, census data. Information is power and they knew _everything_ about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the Galaxy. Some Worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines... Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or converted nearly every Prothean in the Galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough. Our worlds were then stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value - all resources, all technology - was taken. Certain that all space-faring organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them. All evidence of their invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaves were left behind, abandoned. As mindless husks, no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide of the Protheans - was complete."_

"What is Saren's ultimate goal? How will he bring about the beginning of the end?" Aran demanded of the Prothean avatar. Though she already _knew_ the answer, this was for her companion's benefit and that of the Council's.

_"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers invaded, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos is home to a classified research facility. There, we worked to create a small-scale, mono-directional version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel: it was to be a symbol of our empire's unparallelled unity but in our darkest hour it provided a secret route to the very hub of the relay network..." _

"Not a weapon then, something _far_ worse. A bypass of all the Citadel's defences... A back door..." Liara compounded on Vigil's words.

"How did you remain hidden?" Tali directed at the observance VI.

_"All official records of our project were destroyed just in time before the Reapers took the Citadel. And we were informed via our own beacon that our seat of power had been overthrown. While the empire fell. Ilos was spared. We severed all communication _ _with the outside and our facility went dark. Personnel retreated underground into the sealed archives and to preserve our limited resources, everyone was placed in cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility, and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers lingered. And my energy reserves were dwindling... I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally withdrew through the Citadel relay."  
><em>

"The vision..." Liara addressed Vigil with unease and outrage. "I saw them! There were _hundreds_ of pods in that bunker! You just shut them down? You _killed_ them?!"

"Better to let them _die_ so that those who could provide salvation would _live_. Never in _history_ has such an action been more necessary." Aran replied firmly.

_"My actions are the only reason any hope remains."_ Vigil concurred. _"I saved the top researchers, key personnel that went on to provide this cycle with time. Time you needed. When the researchers awoke they swiftly concluded that the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle; forever. And they knew the Keepers were the key." _

"Yes! I was _always_ suspicious of those little bug-eyed monstrosities!" Aran crowed. "Me and Chorban were _right!_ They're _not_ just care-takers. They hide what's in plain sight and lull every race into a false sense of importance, power and security!"

_"Yes, the Reapers were careful_ _to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a race of seemingly benign organic caretakers. The Keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the Keepers therefore ensures that the no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature until it is far too late. But our research revealed their primary objective and much more. The Keepers are controlled by sub-systems within the Citadel itself. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station _by the sentinel holding watch over the Galaxy_, compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the last Prothean scientists found a way to transcode, capture and alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the station and made the modifications to the master control unit. This time, a few thousand years ago, when the Reaper you call Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel; the Keepers ignored it. Leaving the Reapers trapped in dark space."  
><em>

"But once Saren marshals his forces on both sides. He's going to undo everything you worked and died for..." Wrex stated.

_"You now know more than your enemy does at the final stretch of this long race. The one you call Saren has been briefed by Sovereign itself. He will make his way to Ilos. Use the Conduit to circumvent the Citadel's defences. Once inside, he will transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Who will override the systems we put in place and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction - will begin again." _

"Not if I can help it. We'll stop Saren and find a way to take Sovereign down." Samus announced with more confidence than she felt. "_Somehow_." She added in disquiet.

_"Find me on Ilos. Saren could not decipher the beacon's VI formed message in its entirety, the Reaper's taint on his mind is too strong. But I have data files, files that are the amassed knowledge of the Protheans regarding the Citadel, its functions and its first inhabitants._ _There is still hope to end this, once and for all. But you must hurry. Find the Watcher's Chamber... On Ilos..."_

Aran looked around at those assembled as the beacon's recollection programme terminated.

"So... Any tactical input?"

Kaidan was the first to voice a shaky opinion.

"Input? Hell, I don't know. We're fighting _giant machines_ from outside the Galaxy. Should I be _afraid_ of them, or in _awe_ of them? Anything so - _old_, so intelligent..."

"No kidding LT." Ash agreed. "We've got _a hard _fight ahead of us. _Fleets_ of AI dreadnoughts who've exterminated all life in the Galaxy at least a dozen times _over_. I think the odds are against us."

"We know about the full extent of their indoctrination at least. Plus, Sam's got us a counter-measure._ And_ we've got a greater chance than any other cycle has had before or since thanks to this forewarning." Wrex reminded her.

"I'm not going to lay down and die, Wrex. Don't worry about that. What I mean is - all of us here - we're _infantry_! Our rifles might as well be firing spitballs when stacked up against Reapers! We won't have a place in this war! And that's what pisses me off the most! Not being able to shoot back!"

"Bullshit, Chief!" Garrus interjected vehemently. "Shepard proved they can bleed! Sovereign fled the blast zone because it would have been obliterated _otherwise!_ Imagine what one of those nuke's could do inside its guts? 'BAM!' They also gave away that they can't hold up their shields when planet-side either. And even better... The more Saren relies upon the power the Reapers give him the more parts he sells of himself. He's at the end of his tether... He's going to make the mistake _we need_ to nail him!"

"Sovereign will not _be_ at Ilos," Liara reminded them, "there are _two dozen_ relay entries to the Widow Cluster. The Council has to be _warned_ of the attack. With the amount of evidence we have; they will summon the Citadel Fleets in force."

_"And station them at the relays,"_ Hackett murmured, removing his cap and padding his brow with a snowy handkerchief. _"They divert their armada in such a way and Sovereign and the Geth will rip right through them."_

Anderson agreed. _"You should all know that Udina has been pushing for this joint-operation for a long time. Ever since they sent you on this hunt, Shepard. They'll recall you as soon as the Citadel Archive Analyst's verify your reports. Since you've put them all under an oncoming threat of such significance; it's quite likely they'll recall the Spectres that worked with you as well. Who monitored Virmire from afar."  
><em>

"They will. And I will return with them."

Tali spoke up. "Shepard, the Ambassador will want to take charge of the situation. He's _a politician_. And you've been keeping the spotlight for the last year! Alliance ships may not be welcome in the Terminus but we have the IES stealth sysytem. We can get to the Mu relay and Ilos in three days, _tops_. We _have_ to find the Conduit before Saren does!"

"And if we do? What then? Disable it? We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot. The only way to end this is to _lure_ Sovereign to the Citadel. It's remained hidden because it_ can_ be destroyed. _They_ can be destroyed. We _will_ stop them from returning, _together_."

_"Shepard, I'll have the full might of the Fifth Fleet on standby. The Joint Chief's _will_ take this seriously. Even if I have to_ force_ them to see clear." _

"Thank you, Admiral. But I want the Normandy at its head when the time comes. Joker, you'll have a couple of hours to make the successive relay jumps back to the Arcturus Stream since we won't need pick up."

_"You can count on me, Commander!" _Jeff declared over the intercom.

"Then we're all in agreement. We move for Ilos. But only once the Council has been... _Completely_ informed of the situation. And once they respond - _appropriately_."

* * *

><p>In Normandy's cargo hold, they held a wake for the brave men and women who died on Virmire.<p>

Kirrahe lit seventy three candles. Only he, Rentola, Imness and four others had survived the disastrous operation. Though for the STG, such losses were actually seen as _a blessing_ when the unit survived high risk missions to reform at all. And Aran perceived slight iniquity that she felt more sorrow for ten of hers struck down on the field than the many more Salarians who had died for the sake of Galactic peace.

"I don't understand..." Crew-member Monica Negulesco asked tearfully of Lieutenant Alenko, standing next to her. "The Commander _loved_ Jamie like her own child. Yet she won't even let it out."

Before Alenko could respond Command Deck Officer Abishek Pakti replied: "I heard she wept for her men on Sovereign. But she was with Dr. T'Soni then. As a leader she cannot be seen to break down in front of us."

Kaidan had a differing opinion to voice on the matter.

"She _didn't_ weep, she _cried_. But I didn't see _a single tear_. After all the time she's lived. I don't think she has any left to shed."

"Then why do you cry?"

"Because _she_ is Samus Aran. Last of the Defenders. She won't cry... So I'll cry for her..."

* * *

><p>Intai'sei. The red paradise planet was home to swaying wind-farm plains and arid deserts rich in mineral resources.<p>

Aran sat on a low boulder among the emptiness; soaking up the peace and tranquility of the land and sky while she waited for them to arrive.

Three rovers crested the ambit vista. Cerberus had come to talk.

Once the vehicles were no more than twenty metres away from the Hunter, four men exited along with a contingent of twelve Dog Soldiers in Skunk-work's camouflage armoured hard suits.

"Commander Shepard!" The lead scientist greeted her brightly.

"... Doctor Wayne..."

"I see you've finally decided to be reasonable. We're on the same side, here, Shepard. We all just want what's best for Humanity, you know."

"I know, gentleman. I know about it _all_... About the gun-running to Batarian extremists, about the eezo transport crashes; Pragia and Akuze. About Feros and Nodacrux. About Palaven and Chasca. Altahe, Nepmos, Depot Sigma-23, Ontarom, Edolus... Binthu and Nepheron."

"Commander - "

"Nothing you can _possibly_ say will save you from me... You people and what you've committed, frankly, _sicken_ me."

"What _we've_ done?! It is _you_ who is the greatest traitor to mankind!"

"Yes! As Aguirre said: I _am_ the _great traitor_. There must be _no other_. Anyone who even thinks about deserting this mission will be cut up into _a hundred and ninety eight pieces_. Those pieces will be stamped on until what is left can be used only to paint walls. Whoever takes one grain of corn or one drop of water more than his ration, will be locked up for _a hundred and fifty five years_. If I, Aguirre, want the birds to drop dead from the trees, then the birds will drop dead from the trees. I am the wrath of God, sent to _chastise_ you! The earth I pass will see me and tremble!"

"You're mad!"

"Come now, gentlemen. Did you _really_ think I came here to draw up _a peace?_ I - want - _Harper_... And you _will_ help me on the way to finding him..."

"The Illusive Man...? You'll never take any of us alive, Shepard."

"That remains to be seen. Now... _Kneel_."

"You are a funny woman, Shep - "

"I SAID _KNEEL!_"

Wayne's right leg disintegrated in half, courtesy of a sniper grain to his patella. Though the angle was impossible considering there were no hills for hundreds of miles. That had been one of the terms of their meeting place after all.

It was bedlam for all of five seconds as the black ops group were cut down to the last by a twin stream of long range cross-fire. Aran stasis locked the final Cerberus scientist on the spot and watched with some interest as the final shot tore through the side of his open mouth and sent his back molars flying though his ear and cheek in a burst of blood; leaving him without his cyanide capsule and a way to self-terminate.

Cerberus had monitored Aran closely when they had agreed to meet. Normandy had not entered the Phoenix System. But the Nova Corvette had. And not through a relay. Her ship uncloaked, to reveal Garrus Vakarian standing aloft, rifle shouldered. Two more Trybondian ships appeared around the site from several hundred meters away. Ashley Williams and the recently liberated Christopher Toombs, the only survivor of the Thresher Maw disaster of 77' had lain in wait on top of the vessels and participated in the massacre.

Aran let the field drop and the _real_ Doctor Emmanuel Wayne collapsed, moaning. His decoy having done him no good. The Hunter grabbed his foot with her renewed iron grasp and dragged him across the red-stained sand towards Vakarian and Toombs.

"You want to sit in on the IR, Chris?" She queried of the insane Alliance Marine.

"... Oh, _yes_." The former lab guinea pig said in a deadly whisper. "Then will the screaming stop, Sam?"

"It will, Corporal. I'll make sure your Unit rests easy... Garrus!"

"Yes, Boss?"

"Let's hone your skills a bit more. I taught you to always follow the safest path, so that when you need to do things like _this_. You do them _right_."

"It'd be my pleasure..."

* * *

><p>Garrus departed from the room, whistling jauntily to find his Commander sitting in her pilot's chair. She washed the scarlet gore from his hands while he spoke.<p>

"He gave up the flash-drive override codes pretty quick. Not a lot of stomach for suffering that one... Adam helped me transmit them to the others in the Columbia System. With them all over the place; the base fell in _minutes_. no casualties on our side."

"Excellent. And has Tali cracked their servers on the other end?"

"Yeah. The entire registry is ours. It's gonna go a long way to putting Cerberus down for good. Though you'd think they'd end up doing it to themselves; the things they experiment on. Rachni Soldiers, Thorian Creepers, Geth Husks..."

"Probably Reaper tech, the Man's been interested in it since First Contact. Doubtless he knows about their resurgence thanks to all those spouting leaks in the Council Chambers..."

"They're all pathetic, Sam. _You_ are going to be the one to bring him, _them_ down. I know it. We just have to draw them in close, like a cautious Nathak..."

"_You_, are one of a kind, Garrus. I think I know what you'll do when this is all over and done. I wish you every success; it's been a privilege having you along for the ride."

"And here I was trying to work up my courage to declare _my_ gratitude, another time then."

"Hm, alright."

"Shepard... Toombs gave his Brawler a blow-job after I broke Wayne."

"... That's not - unexpected. He was looking for release. He found it."

* * *

><p>Wayne was unrecognizable as Aran dumped him in the ash of an Uncharted World. she stood above him, smoking her Blue Root cigar, before taking another nearby flat boulder as a seat, while the broken Human Supremacist rolled feebly in the dust.<p>

"_God_, forgive me... Ideas - are _forever_, Shepard... Earth will remain strong thanks to what I did. Cerberus will _never_ die..."

"That's quite the interesting perception you've got there. It's a wonderful thought I suppose... However, I'm afraid that Oingo Boingo said it best: _no one lives forever._ That's just the way it goes. Now then, I suppose I could be cruel and torture you further, keep you above water for days, considering what you've done to my comrades and countless other innocents there's no question it would be appropriate. Fortunately, I'm not as _vulgar_ as you. It would bring me no satisfaction. So I think I'll sit here and watch until you've taken your _last miserable breath_. Judging by those ministrations you probably have around ten minutes at best. I dedicate these last few moments before you leave this world to Toomb's and Kahoku's memories. May they rest in peace. Though I'm sure you wouldn't understand..."

Wayne sobbed as he began to expire slowly. Aran rested her forehead in her free palm, cigar between her fingers.

"Don't cry, you fool."

* * *

><p><em>"Commander, Shepard. I'm pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success. The footage you gave us was quite... Striking."<em> Councilor Tevos continued warmly. _"We're sorry for loss of the men and women under you as well. But your own bravery cannot be understated. We are prepared to offer you a commendation few Spectres warrant due to the valour you displayed under fire and your now distinguished combat record for the Legion."_

Sparatus agreed, smugly preening, as if recommending Aran for the Spectres and an elevated trophy had been _his_ idea.

_"Saren is dangerous enough without an army of Krogan serving under him. Agent's Bau and J'awos struck the back-up cloning labs on the other side of the planet in a daring night-raid while you and Kirrahe dealt with the main base. Saren may still be at large, but at least he doesn't have a quarter of a million_ _regenerators in his hands."_

"A few thousand may still be enough, Councilor. And those Krogan wouldn't have served Saren. They would have served _Sovereign_. A Reaper."

_"Yes, we saw mention of this in your report."_ Valern ventured._ "Sovereign. A sentient machine, supposedly responsible for the mental brainwashing of Matriarch Benezia and nearly a hundred others. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming... If it turns out to be accurate." _

"It _is_ accurate, Councillors. And I can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt if you indulge me with a private audience after the award ceremony. My fellow Agents should be honoured along side me for their part in putting an end to this threat."

_"That would be a wonderful show of solidarity, Commander. And though the visual and - audio, evidence of the Reapers is _very_ arresting. I'm afraid the Council can take no official action here. Your reports and those of your colleagues' are being heavily edited and compiled in the deepest level of the archives. But that is why our predecessors created the Spectres. You have the authority to act outside the law and as you see fit for the sake of the trillions we _all_ must protect."_

_"Perhaps you'll realise what incredible trust we place in you _now_, Shepard." _Sparatus clicked, seemingly hurt. _"And you _are_ one of our most meticulous Agents - *Ahem* I mean - even a broken clock is right twice a day..." _

Valern concurred. _"If you believe that Sovereign is the real threat. You must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren."_

_"Good luck, Commander. From all of us." _

The link cut off and Aran switched to the secondary hail that was also marked with top priority clearance.

_"Greetings, Commander."_ The distorted voice and figure of a single holo entity appeared before her.

"I suppose I wouldn't know if you were just an interested party or the Broker himself, would I?"

_"No, you would not. But since you've been waiting for this call; you must know that I am extremely interested in acquiring information on Cerberus."_

"Cut to the chase, Operative."

_"Admiral Kahoku contacted me to help him locate information on any possible Cerberus facilities. I provided him with that Intel on the promise that he would turn over copies of all files from the Cerberus systems to us." _

"Copies? Then what good is to you?"

_"Cerberus encryption is my trade, Shepard. The Alliance won't be able to decipher it for years. Its value is far more substantial in my hands. And I am aware that the volume of data recovered by your team - has smashed my estimations."_

"So... I'd be well compensated for this."

_"Correct."_

"What if I gave you our one and only hard-copy? Encryption blocks can't be duplicated to the same extent as open files. We'd lose key Intel. But you foresaw that when you contacted me."

_"Indeed. I knew you were a reasonable woman, Commander. I will remember this the next time you need something from us."_

"Next time? I'm sorry, _Mr. Broker_. But all the zeroes in the Universe aren't as important to me as favours."

_"I'm listening..."_

"I want two of your inside men within Cerberus."

_"Considering you may have compromised them, their viability is accordingly limited to me. Name them. And it shall be done."_

"You can retain oversight of their handlers. But I want every update on their activities, plus full disclosure and open channels to them at all times."

_"This is an unprecedented move, Shepard."_

"As is the Intel you stand to gain."

_" - Their names, Commander."_

"... Paul Grayson and Robert Wilson."


	37. An Ancient Threat, A Final Hope

**A/N: Big story divergence from here on out, at least, on paper as we will be getting to Ilos in much the same manner. But considering the whole crew of the Normandy, and even _Shepard_ seemed to be doggedly holding on to a giant Idiot Ball after the main missions were all complete in-game; I'm sure you'll enjoy this change of pace I've sprinkled throughout the story, with Miss Aran being something of a Chess-master, and even better still, we _must_ return to the heart of Galactic Civilization for a scene I've long looked forward to writing! **

_"Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible."_

_(Albert Einstein) _

_"I show up in my writing room at approximately 10 A.M. every morning without fail. Sometimes my muse sees fit to join me there and sometimes she doesn't, but she always knows where I'll be. She doesn't need to go hunting in the taverns or on the beach or drag the boulevard looking for me._"

_(Tom Robbins)_

_"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them."_

_(Marcus Aurelius)_

**An Ancient Threat, A Final Hope  
><strong>

Aran entered her stateroom and immediately checked over several files, encrypting the latest update reports on what the Alliance had dubbed Project Golgotha and transmitting the records to Adam across the Shadow Network. She never kept Intel in the same place for long; back-ups important enough to the cause were encoded directly onto her cerebellum. The Hunter didn't trust them anywhere else.

She went farther into her quarters and beheld her trusty N7 armour, as battle-marked as she was, resting on its walk-in stand chassis. It had served her well during Special Operations training and beyond. But it would need some rather - _radical_ improvements if it was to stand up to Saren when she faced him again.

The ceramic ablatives were further reinforced with a checkered, crystallized non-Newtonian mesh formula based off the Reaper nanites that her nemesis had employed. For short bursts, an electrical current could be dissipated through the canopy, raising the powered plates at minute adaptive angles, depending on the trauma applied, that, when combined with the earlier cush gel matrix she'd patented years earlier; could deflect all but the heaviest calibre grains. It was more efficient than a kinetic barrier, but very cost and time prohibitive to provide for the average soldier. Aran had been working on the textile every night cycle for the last week as they traveled back to the Widow System; making odd stops to inform loved ones of their son's and daughter's departing. Arcturus and the Brass weren't happy with her, she was too independent for their tastes, a Spectre to the bone more than a Navy Commander. There had even been whispers from some of taking away her citizenship since she was regarded as such an 'alien lover.' Aran didn't give a damn what they thought, larger government powers than the Earth Systems Alliance had tried to control her, and the sheep thought her a hero. She was merely accomplishing, what was in her power to do. Those who had given their lives had _always_ given more than her. And she delighted in that. It gave her something to strive for. But she also knew she could do a lot more alive than dead.

Retractable mag-lock pads came next, refurbished with newer materials, two new on-board omni tools built from scratch from her own Chozo software, along with new ultra conductive experimental lead circuits for the suit's processing computers; fresh from SI, with hugs and kisses from Lorik Qui'in. Who had lately bought out both Binary Helix in the wake of the Rachni debacle and their censure by the Council along with Jormangund Technologies, (when Sam had helped him acquire the majority of the shares,) and he'd efficiently absorbed them into his conglomerate. As the new Administrator of Port Hanshan, he'd also quite quickly climbed the rungs of the Synthetic Insights corporate ladder and had been made CEO. Accompanied by becoming the head of the new _experimental mechanics department_; which was always sure to send the latest toys for real field stress tests.

The gear in question, being a Trybondian quantum blue-box rigged to her exact specifications and a first in the field for the Artificial Intelligence R&D Centre. In order to keep all the multiple active power allocations to the unique hardware fully functioning, while keeping passive firewall, micro-core biotic defences, anti-indoctrination white noise emitters, pressurized seals and the many weaved layers of Denzium alloyed nano-plating above the molecularly transitory zero under-layer, in turn synched with a new kinetic exoskeleton and medical suite. No soldier in the Galaxy had armour of similar peer.

But that was not the piece de resistance. That honour belonged to the integrated anti-proton jet pack that SI had also engineered. This extensively simulated prototype, based on her designs, could propel a soldier from one craft to the other when at attack range and was god for ten minutes flight in vacuum; and if the master-control unit was where Aran believed it to be... She would need it before the end.

She key locked her HMW flak gun and sniper rifle together as an under-barrel accompaniment; with an ammo block nano-replicating fabricator for rapid Carnage and Assassination protocols. The weapon synched with both omni tools to flow liquid nitrogen through the graphene heat sinks and give the dual situational firearm an unparalleled downrange of rounds per minute.

Finally, she applied the first upgrade to her N7 helmet and held it up in both hands. When she gripped the headgear, she could see the V-shaped reminders running between the thin bones of her palms, along with the stress scar marks below her wrists. Gifts that Saren had given her to remind her of him.

_"Ash would have a field day if she saw them,"_ she snorted to herself.

* * *

><p>Normandy passed over the private Alliance docking bay and headed straight for the consular landing berths reserved solely for the Council, their Agents and other top diplomatic emissaries; it was situated at the base of the Citadel Tower. Where one could see the entirety of the station arms: Kithoi Ward, Zakera Ward, Bachjret, Tayseri and the Shalta Wards. The star that held their civilization together; and the foretoken of their unknowing slavery and demise...<p>

As soon as the clamps had secured the SR-1 to her mooring, the crew was given a week's shore leave while Aran was escorted by the Council's honour guard straight to the Spectre Offices.

Upon being welcomed back inside the nexus of the Council's Right Hand, she was greeted with cheers and applause from her compatriots; although gladdened by the reception, Samus soon sought out her closest colleagues in the Agency and exchanged pleasantries with Bau, J'awos and Gabrilan. Though she also met friends that she hadn't had the pleasure of being amongst in years. The Turian female Agent, Falxina Mehrkuri and her brother Vesuvius. Lilihierax Epyrus and even the relative incompetent Mallene Calis; no head for diplomacy that one, but she could fight better than most.

"It's been quite a first tour of duty, hasn't it, Agent Aran?" Bau congratulated, shaking her hand formally.

"Yes, quite. But the grand finale is always what concerns me the most."

"Does it not all of us..."

"Have they spoken?"

"They've _sung_." Bau elaborated, switching on a nearby monitor. "What people in Cerberus we've tracked down after the Keres Cell came tumbling down are now giving us a greater picture of how the Man's organization works. Even if it's only bits and pieces. And Thanoptis gave us quite a background on Sovereign's capabilities. Thanks to your uncredited brilliance, we'll be rolling out psychic insulation implants within the next month. The Council will get first dibs on the list for said surgery, of course."

On the vid-screen, Aran could see the Asari neurospecialist, Rana Thanoptis, being interviewed by another Spectre Agent; one she hadn't met before.

_"It's like a tingle, at the back of your skull, like a whisper you can't quite hear... You're compelled to do things but you don't know why... You just - obey. Eventually, you just stop thinking for yourself. It happened to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the man I replaced. I need to get out before it happens to me."  
><em>

_"You're not there anymore, Rana. And the signal, you say it came from Arterius' ship?"_

_"Signal's not the right word. It's some kind of energy field that emanates from the core. Over a period of days, weeks maybe, it erodes your will. You become easier to manipulate but it's a degenerative condition. Dependent on your exposure to Sovereign." _

_"How long were you kept on Virmire, Rana?"_

_"... Four months."_

Aran tuned the screen off, already aware of Rana's fate. She was too far gone for even her power to save. Also, the Hunter wasn't entirely sure she would choose to save her - even if she could. She'd committed brutal experiments and her remorse didn't help her victims. That and some in the Agency believed that indoctrination might even be contagious...

"Best get ready," Gabrilan announced, clapping his mammoth hands together. "The Powers That Be are going to be calling us in soon. Your ambassador is practically wetting himself with excitement."

"He's a closeted man, Gabe. Always worrying about the future. Shame people like us have to work with such politicians. We live for alchemy's soul, for the present; for whatever dangers are to come."

"Amen, Sam. Amen."

Numerous dignitaries of every Council and Citadel Client race were out in force to witness the ceremony. As not one, but four Spectres were awarded the Council Legion of Merit by each Councillor. Bau was given his by Sparatus, Tevos gladly stood in for Gabrilan, the press having a wild time at the expression of good relations with the Krogan and Valern accepted the badge for J'awos; as befitting the liaison between the eldest Council members.

Passive and content, Aran stood at rest as Sparatus, who was gritting his teeth and looking as if he would rather be doing anything else, accepted the final medal. His professional demeanour covering his insecurity and prejudices as he turned and pinned the five white-armed insignia on her blood-stripe dress blues that only an N7 who'd survived three tours was honoured to wear. The song and dance of politics was always distasteful to career soldiers, but Spectres could appreciate the morale boost it would have on the hearts and minds of citizens as they turned to the adulation of the crowds; and the cameras continued to roll.

After the madhouse reception had died down. Ambassador Udina stepped forth with Humanity's first Spectre.

"Good job, Shepard. Thanks to you, the Council is finally taking_ real_ action against Saren." He congratulated.

Never one to be left out of the proceedings, Councillor Tevos helpfully elaborated. "The ambassador is right. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, as you believe. We shall be ready for him."

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel Space to the Terminus." Sparatus explained further.

"What about Ilos?"

"A complete aeronautic assault would be inadvisable," Valern said. "We do not have completely accurate Intel regarding the exact scale of Saren's space forces and if we pass through the Terminus; we may trigger a full-scale war."

Udina was quick to jump on the bandwagon. "Now is the time for _discretion_, Commander. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is _over_."

"This is not, over. I can still get through the Mu Relay on my own if I must. And I can be discreet."

"You detonated a Tier-III weapon of mass destruction on virgin soil!" Sparatus accused. "I wouldn't call _that_ discreet!

"Your style served you well in the Traverse, Commander." Tevos tried to mediate. "We recognise that. But Ilos requires a deft touch."

"And what of the Reapers? The Conduit?"

"Saren is a charismatic master manipulator. Both are just a distraction from his real plan to lay siege to the Citadel." Valern replied stubbornly.

_"They don't want to believe what I've shown them to be true..."  
><em>

"If that is what you have decided, then I can't dissuade you. But I ask that you at least let me _try_ to make for Ilos."

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go." Sparatus remarked snidely.

Udina pounced. "There are _serious_ political implications here, Shepard. Humanity has made great gains thanks to you, but _now_ you're becoming more trouble than you're worth..."

"So you think, you're selling me out, do you? You may have pulled the wool over the Councillor's eyes. But I've never answered to you."

"It's nothing_ personal_, Commander. Just politics. Go and embarrass yourself further if you must, but it will not be while joyriding around the Galaxy in the Alliances pride and joy. I've locked out all the Normandy's primary systems; until further notice - you're grounded. We need you here."

Aran only had one dire warning for his ambassadorial ears.

"No one stabs _me_ in the back, Udina. _Nobody_..."

"I think it's time for you to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With _my_ help, of course."

Aran shook her head in a mixture of mirth and bafflement. Then took her leave.

* * *

><p>It was five hours later when Aran came home to one of her safe houses in the Wards. The old warrior removed her overcoat and hung it on the rack in the hallway. She'd really needed that trip to Sha'ira's. After all, there were some things you could only learn firsthand... And she had never melded with an Asari before.<p>

"Liara? Are you in?"

"As if you don't know!" The Maiden called back from the kitchen-dining area.

"Where are the others staying tonight?" Aran asked while perusing the logistics Adam had sent her for confirmation.

"Garrus has gone to see Executor Palin. Something about re-applying for C-Sec... The Special Responses Division seems to be his hopeful future forte."

"That's good. What about Tali and Wrex?"

"They couldn't exactly remove them from the ship. Not when all our resident Battlemaster has to do is growl at those poor mechanics."

"Heh, and the last two?" She posited, coming into the nucleus of the apartment and accepting a kiss from Liara.

"Scuttlebutt, as the crew like to call it, claims that the Lieutenant and Chief Williams have rented a small apartment together."

"Ahh... I should have seen that coming." Aran activated the nearest holo screen and tuned in to CNN.

_"A remainder of our top headlines today, Humanity's first Spectre, Commander Aran Shepard was ejected from the Citadel Tower today, after supposedly relaying paranormal rumours that upset the balance of the Council. A spokesman claims that there are plans to have her appointment more closely evaluated by the Special Tactics and Recon Office later this month. In other news - " _

Aran shut the television down with a flick of her finger and turned to a very contrite lover.

"Shepard... Samus, I cannot believe they did this to you. I thought - I am so sorry."

"For what, Liara? It's not your fault. The things I've shown them... I'd be terrified if I was put in their position. They can't handle it. So they're discrediting me publicly. I'd do the same."

"That doesn't make it right. You did everything they asked and _more_! Did they not _see_ the footage of the battles you've fought? Nobody else could have possibly done what you did. What you've _done_. The Council owes you everything, _everything_." She came up behind Samus and wrapped an arm around and over her shoulder, Aran gratefully rubbing her wrist in affection and musing.

"No. Not everything, not yet..."

"Perhaps we could appeal, and get them to reverse their decision?"

"How hard would you have me push them?" Aran broke the embrace and flopped onto the sofa. "Should I tell them all...? Or should you and I run away to the edges of the Universe with my people. Leave all of this behind?"

"You want to walk away? you will just _give up_ and doom the entire Galaxy?!" Liara stood over her, not daring to lend credence to what she was hearing.

"T'Soni...!" Aran laughed. "You're acting as if I didn't _expect_ Udina and the Council to throw me under the bus at the first available opportunity down the road. I knew he would. I knew they would. At least on the surface. But he's a periphery. They are peripheries. Always have been, always will be. We're out of the game. But I've never been one to play by the established rules in the first place."

"I believe in you, Shepard. I will be with you every step of the way." Liara offered her hand. And Samus beheld it for a second before allowing her to pull her upright and then she turned the tables, pulling her in to kiss her full and hard.

After a near breathless thirty seconds of luxuriating in each other, Aran noticed the pinkish biotic aura playing up as the lights dimmed telekinetically. She broke the embrace with some small regret.

"Not yet... We agreed didn't we? These were dark times, when all this is over..."

"It will never be over though, Shepard. You know this better than anyone else."

"I suppose we are just fooling ourselves in one way or another. But by your ghosts and mine, a part of me I thought long dead is screaming that it can't _ever_ lose you. To never risk that. Yet another, more lively, part of me says - to hell with it!"

"Eagerness is no sin, Samus..."

"No, but it complicates. There will be a right moment. Very soon, I promise."

"And you could possibly open up to me? Every time we bonded, your mental discipline, it _threw_ only the beacon's messages to the forefront. I have only glimpsed a fraction of your past, as long and storied as it is. And what I saw spoke of - _a life_ of conflict."

"Those were the _cleaner_ fights. There are things I could show you; that you would never forgive me for witnessing."

"Shepard - "

"I'm not being melodramatic, either. One has to compartmentalize, yet draw upon their experiences, the good _and_ the bad, to grow. I've never dared share my memories and - sensations with another Asari. The bonds were... One-sided, highly physical, a release of a common pleasure unlike any they'd felt. It would take a rare Matriarch to match in Psionic combat. But I don't want what we have to be combative. I want it to be beautiful."

Liara cupped Aran's cheeks with both hands. "It will be. You have a beautiful soul, Samus."

"You have the beautiful soul here, Dr. T'Soni. I'm just a worn out old woman."

"One look at yourself, inside yourself. You couldn't believe that. No one could."

Aran gently removed both of Liara's delicate blue mittens and inspected them lovingly.

"Let me show you something."

Aran sat once more, drawing her lover down beside her.

"Remember how you discovered me?"

"Hmm, I remember, the - marks under your skin."

"_Part_ of my skin. My very flesh... subcutaneous tissues only regenerate, adapt and strengthen due to a rather specialized fibrosis. Only instead of collagen, Chozo biology replaces damaged tissues with unique, multi-layered nano-blast cell structures. To have total morphogenic control in your possession is a great gift. Along with conductive systemic epithelialization thanks to my Metroid genes - I should look like some kind of _deformed freak_, especially considering the amount of times I've healed. Instead, I have every reminder of every wound I've ever suffered, _bubbling_ under the surface. Even with all the tests I've run, sometimes I think I'll just fly apart one day... And yet, despite them all adding up. I feel - fantastic. Better than I ever have. Forebears know what would happen to me if I decided to indulge the hunger and absorb more and more power; evolving my very being further and further to the point of no-return then - Ah... I talk about matters that have no bearing. No, what matters is _this_."

She disincorporated her long-sleeved knitted beach sweater. On her right arm, white spirals of all different shapes and sizes traced outwards and were defined against those rippling, protruding muscle groups.

In the dim light, Liara could make out the twin rings of moonlight on her two smallest fingers, where Saren had cleaved them off with his biotically wreathed maxe, as well as the scars she'd been inflicted with two weeks ago. There were many more: the wound from Haliat's gun, teeth marks from pack predators, (and Krogan), milky chemical and radiation burn patches. On her upper bicep, a circlet of vein wrapped snow signified that the entire arm had once been severed.

"I had to grow her back." Sam murmured, turning the limb round and about, examining it with a certain detached interest. "Physio was hell."

"How did you lose it?"

"Amputated. I could have fought off the cancer eventually but - heh, that would have taken longer than simply cutting the knot. The radiation she endured. Nothing should have been left..."

"Who - "

"A squabble in the nest at the edge of the known Universe. One of my hardest fights..."

"Why are you...?"

Liara was cut off in her tracks as Sam used her biotics to highlight every past wound she'd suffered. Usually, the only mark on her flawless skin was the single mole at the hollow of her throat. Now. Now Aran looked like something out of nightmare, like some organic scarecrow. At least, that was what Liara thought initially...

Asymmetry was the name of the painting before her. Aran's right eye had turned deep blue entire, black veins pulsating within and the many scars on her usually unmarred face distorted her features.

"I thought it best I show you all of me, or one side at least. Well? Am I a beauty or a beast?"

"I think the question is... What is your purpose for showing me this?"

"... Curiosity, maybe."

"Of a morbid, lonely kind...?"

"Perhaps. But the harsh truth is - I'm not a _needful_ woman, Liara. You can't open the book of my life and jump in at the middle. War is part of my nature, and I am blessed enough to have known and met men and women like you, who can handle, cope and reciprocate that facet of my lifestyle." She stood, turned and knelt back in front of Liara and took her hands again. "I want us to spend many years together. I want to know of all the happenings you deign to treat me with. And I will do so in return. And while I will cherish you. I think we both know that freedom must come first; for both of us. Do you concur?"

"... I do. There. Does that sound so bad?"

"Not in the slightest, Dr. T'Soni. Not in the slightest."

* * *

><p>Conrad Verner couldn't believe his eyes when he saw his idol about to climb into her sky-car on the 53rd promenade.<p>

"Commander! I was waiting for you to come back!" He waved happily, drawing her attention as he ran over.

"Conrad," Aran greeted him with genuine crinkles, disguising her tiredness. "Good to see you, _again_."

"I've got an idea and I want to run it by you." He brushed off the honour of her address, causing her previously warm tone to go cold.

"I've given you an autograph, taken a picture with you, I even made a speech and a demonstration at that fan club convention you set up. I'm very busy right now with a great many things, but please, Conrad. I've got _plenty_ of time to indulge you."

The poor man didn't notice the subtle danger signs, or the subdued sarcasm.

"Okay! With so many Human colonies being attacked. I'm not sure one Spectre is enough. What if? You signed me on as another Spectre?"

Aran stood silent for about five seconds, then she gestured for him to get into the automobile.

"Commander?"

"Let's talk, Conrad," she decided, opening the door and popping the hatch on the passenger side as well. Verner nearly squealed in delight as he ran around and hopped in. They took off into the private lanes that were befittingly free of congestion.

They drove in silence to the destination Aran had chosen while Conrad seemed to be squirming with excitement.

"Why do you want to become a Spectre, Conrad?"

"_Why_? Because I want to show the Council what Humanity can do! I'd make a great Spectre! I want to be with you, fighting the good fight like you did on Elysium!"

"There are no _good_ fights, Conrad. Some would say you have to lose a part of yourself to enjoy violence..."

"Maybe, but Humanity needs more heroes! Aren't you taking me to be initiated?"

"Conrad... Even _if_ I had that kind of sway in the Agency. I haven't been shot in the head _nearly_ enough times to make that seem like a good idea."

"Aw, joke if you want but there were people who doubted _you_. And you worked out alright. Right? You could train me! You could - "

"Do you have _any_ actual combat training?" She confronted, wanting to hear his inevitable negative.

"Well - "

Aran set the roller to autopilot and bared her under-arm gun holster.

"I've lost many friends on many missions, Conrad. Would you insult them further?"

"Commander, I - I - I _know_ you're afraid to trust people again after losing so many friends in the Blitz. But I'd _never_ let you down!"

"Alright." She cocked the hammer of Euxenite, unclipped it from its confines and aimed the nose straight at him with her left hand. "_This_ is a taste of what the Blitz felt like. I'm a bad guy. Stop me from killing you."

"Wha - what? No, please, please don't hurt me! Why are you doing this...?"

"Because you have no idea how to get the job done, Conrad. And because you are no soldier. You can't handle this."

Verner was openly blubbering by now and childishly demanded she stop the car. Aran pulled over and let him out.

"I thought you were a hero!" He sobbed, tears streaming down his cheeks and into his scraggly beard. "Heroes don't do things like this! I wish I'd never_ met_ you!" He punctuated by a final slamming of the door. Which halted as the hydraulics slowed it at the last second, to close with a click.

Aran watched him stumble away into the swarm of pedestrians, his delusions hopefully shattered. When he could reflect on what had happened objectively; he'd recognise the rude awakening for what it was. An honest attempt to help.

* * *

><p>Flux remained a haven for after-work downtime. Free of politics, conspiracy theories and the looming threat embodied in the end of all advanced organic life. Captain Anderson, dressed uncharacteristically in starch shirt civvies, was waiting for Samus in a corner table by the window overlooking the Ward arms.<p>

"Shepard. I heard what happened." He stood as she made her way over and only sat when she did first.

"I'm under lock-down. Or the Normandy is at least. Now I know how you must have felt when Udina had to wrest her away from your hands."

"I know, and I know you're pissed off right now, but I also know you won't give up after this little hiccup. They all think this is over after what you did on Virmire. We both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit."

"He hasn't made his move _just_ yet. My people are watching the Mu Relay and will warn me in due course. I'll let him pave the way. There are secrets on that Planet that are worth the risks that wouldn't be available if I just prepared for him here."

"It would be churlish of me to think you didn't have a plan, Sam. But I also think you need the Normandy out there to finish this fight and this old soldier has a bit of life left in him still. Citadel Control enacted the lock-down but I can countermand Udina's orders from their secure terminals and bring the Normandy back online."

"That's a secure area surrounded by armed guards. I'm not going to allow you to get yourself killed. Plus, I was planning to get out of dodge in a different ship. If we steal the Normandy, _you're_ the one left holding the bag."

"And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is _over_. The Reapers will destroy us, Humans, Asari, everybody! You're the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station."

"Then we'll have to play this by ear. No plan survives contact with the enemy anyway, and I may be leaving with guns on my heels."

"I was hoping you'd say that. Ambassador Udina has an override for the docking clamps on his office computer, can you believe that egotistical twit?"

"Heh, I can. But the embassies will also be on lock-down if my gambit fails. How are you going to get in?"

"Leave that to me. If he's in his office... More the better. I'll just have to think of something."

"I'm sure you will." Their drinks arrived. "To old soldiers, Anderson. May they never truly fade away."

The grizzled vet raised his glass.

"Zazdaróvye."

* * *

><p>Kaidan Alenko invited the Commander into his modest apartment.<p>

"I can't stay long, Kaidan. But I needed to do this in person."

"Well, that sounds ominous. Sure I can't tempt you with a beer."

"Afraid not."

"So, what's up?"

"I would like you and Ash to take early leave and go - well, wherever: Arcturus, Earth, Shanxi. Wherever you decide."

"... Shepard, I... I don't understand."

"Oh, I think you do. I could talk about fraternization, but that would make me a bloody hypocrite. The fact of the matter is. You and Ash were emotionally compromised since Eden Prime; and I should have let you go then. But I didn't. I was selfish."

"That - that's not true."

"It is."

"If this is about my injury - "

"Please, Kaidan. I healed you personally. It has nothing to do with your physical state. I want the two of you out of danger. I've lost enough friends and Ash is a liability, with her persecution complex. And, now, with your bi-polar bouts of stoicism added to the fire; that's issues I don't need at this time. Besides, you don't have a choice in the matter. My orders are final."

"Commander! I - "

"_Live_. Alenko. You and Williams have to leave this station. Before they arrive."

"She'd never agree. She wants to be the one to kill Saren and all the Geth. For her squad, for Nirali."

"That will never happen."

"I know! But she won't _listen_ to me..."

Aran made for the door. Opened it and as she was about to step through -

"She'll have to. Or she'll die."

And she shut the door behind her.

* * *

><p>Garrus Vakarian was sending the majority of his latest pay-packet to Palaven, before settling in for the night with a nightcap of extensive mechanical calibrations to the Mako's cannons and undercarriage. The six-wheeled tank, despite having its own small eezo core, was still liable to sustain stress damage to the forward axles due to the repeated rocket jumps his Commander managed to pull off; not to mention the eighty degree off-road sidetrack climbs while engaging all manner of other armour. Garrus knew without a doubt that no sane individual should be able to take down three or four APCs, single-handedly, in a vehicle of comparable ordnance and protection. But the Boss could pull it off every week. Impossible wasn't a word that existed in her dictionary. Therefore, Garrus would strive to achieve the same.<p>

Heavy footfalls signaled the presence of Urdnot Wrex behind him. Garrus put his omni wrench down and took up a foot long pneumatic screwdriver as he stood. He might trust Wrex with his life in the field, but alone, even after so long spent in each other's abrasive company, one had to be on guard next to a Krogan Battlemaster. Their blasted sense of honour demanded vigilance as a show of respect. And though Vakarian would never truly _like_ the eccentric example of his people's ancient enemy - he knew that Aran had changed even this stubborn biotic's paradigms of how he saw the Galaxy. And for that, he would always be willing to listen.

"Wrex?"

"Vakarian. Going to ask me what I'm doing down here?"

"No. You walk where you may after all."

"Clever boy... You've grown this past year. I can see it."

"So have you."

"That I have. What you did on Virmire was brave, boy. Reckless, but brave."

"Hah, I didn't even know you cared."

"Course I do. You're alright - for a Turian. I'd hate to see you die so ignobly to a pathetic puppet of the Reapers."

"And I suppose I could say the same. Except you didn't follow your own advice that much, did you?"

"Heh, I enjoy your back talk, Garrus. In fact, I haven't enjoyed life this much in an age. Despite knowing what's coming for us... Some of my old man advice for both of us, now. But it still applies more to you. Family was at stake on Virmire. Men don't always think rationally when that's on the line. When you're young - you go looking for every fight you can. You gain a few scars and a few more years... You realise the best fights, they'll come and find you."

"When the pair of you finally retire, you and Sam should become therapists."

"Not likely. Good wisdom is only imparted as a gift to friends."

"Are you saying...?"

"Not even a bit, _Turian_. So... Family? Where are they these days?"

"... I've only really told Shepard..."

"And now you're going to tell me."

"Well, I'm sure you're already familiar with my father, Avner Vakarian."

"You'd be right. He was one of the few C-Sec constables brave enough to take me in for questioning."

"It shames me to admit it... But I've always resented my father. I always thought he was holding me to some impossible standard of responsibility. Then Samus gave me a kick up the ass. Proved to me that moral restraints, moral acknowledgements were a _strength_. Not a weakness. Plus, after hearing what you had to go through with Jarrod... Pretty damn petty of me."

"Men like us. We may never get back the things we love... But we can face that. We can change. That's the only strength worth a damn in this harsh Universe. And by Kruban I'm going to turn the Krogan People around. We adapted to everything before except living with others... Pretty damn _pathetic_..."

"If anyone could possibly do it, Wrex. It's you."

Wrex almost smiled at Garrus' show of solidarity.

"You got siblings?"

"My little sister, Solana."

"A sister. That's nice. I never had a brood mate to care for when I was growing up on Tuchanka."

"If you knew her, you might not be so keen. A handful that one! And she took care of me just as much as I did her."

"At least she'll get on well with Tali!"

"Yeah, she would... And they're _strong_. Strong in ways I can't even _imagine_. Strong women..." He trailed off in wonder.

"Got that right. Nothing in this World quite like them..." Wrex agreed.

"She - takes care of my Mother. Marrus. She's a carer and - Mum's had Corpalis Syndrome since I was five."

"Neural degeneration? Not a good way to go."

"Treatments have kept her afloat but, I've seen in my father that he would do_ anything_ to bring her back to him. Even break the law if it ever came to that. Sometimes I think honour and respect to her memory might have been better served with turning the machines off... But he's never given up. And part of me _hates_ him for it. He can pontificate on duty and doing things the right way until the Avernus Mountains crumble, yet the woman he _loves_. The mother of his children doesn't get the same time of day...!"

"I said it before, and I'll say it again. Rationality doesn't come into it, Garrus." Wrex opened a nearby massive weapons chest. Inside was his grandfather's armour, modded up the wazoo. A post-it sticky note read: 'From Sam. X' "You'll understand that when you hope to become a father one day. Only a rabid Varren leaves his mate behind. And the best decisions that one can make in life. Are _always_, the hardest ones."

* * *

><p>The time had come. Aran stood before the Council. Her allies already on board the SR-1, awaiting their leader.<p>

"Good tidings, Councilors. Thank you for seeing me again. As your Agent, I must bring what you have shut out to your absolute and imminent attention. There are greater dangers ahead. This evidence, Seres and Madame, is _incontrovertible_. I have with me here, detailed plans of the Mass Relays; and their ultimate function. Along with time-stamped recordings of a telepathic Prothean VI interface which confirms my theories. Please feel free to examine the data for a short recess."

Around the Tower Chambers, a dozen fellow Spectres stood watch, among them, Aran's allies. But they were outnumbered. It took the three representatives over an hour to go through nearly ten years of proof; proof that the Reapers were a nightmare made flesh. And that the only war that would ever matter was on the horizon.

Samus was aware, as the Council deliberated, that more hidden snipers were congregating along the highest balconies. She closed her eyes in weariness and disappointment. But what had she truly expected?

"Agent Aran," Councillor Tevos declared. "... What we have all just witnessed throws a lot of answers in to the light. But it also raises just as many question. How - "

"My people took apart inactive _and_ active relays. They've been doing so since I arrived."

"WHAT?!" Sparatus bellowed, though he must have come to such a conclusion long beforehand. It was just the matter of fact statement that offset him.

"I did not know of your society's laws against tampering, but by doing so I have unlocked the truth of this civilization. We were being prepared for harvest by a race that is older, more powerful and more intelligent than anything we can dream. And have ever faced before. Through the relays they've subjugated the Galaxy with a single stroke. Sovereign used the Rachni, indoctrinated the Hive Queens to attack Citadel Space with the ultimate goal of seizing this station. Now Saren will use a faction of the Geth to make another attempt. But not if I can help it."

"But - but... Who are you?" Valern sputtered, unused to being at a disadvantage when it came to information gathering.

"My name is Samus Virginia Aran. I'm a Transgenic Alien Hybrid Defender from an alternate Universe and I am roughly three thousand years old."

You could have heard a pin drop.

Samus heard the sound of rifles being breeched. And began to breathe deeply, reciting Chozo scriptures from deep within.

"Commander... This is..." Tevos seemed to be desperately trying to bring this revelation down to a level she could comprehend. "This is why - twin heritage makes it so troublesome for calculating the niches, future newcomers will fill. I - assume you are the representative of this, _Trybondian_? Society?"

"I am."

"Yet of that population, which I see is mixed race. Even including Vorcha and Batarian enclaves. There is a sub-sect of... You say here that they are, _fully conscious_ _Synthetic Aurora Units_. Based upon self-learning code that for all intents and purposes make them definitive AI entities, befitting of the same rights and privileges as organics?"

"Biologically we are the same as them. They are just allowed a greater degree of - _customization_, along with freedom from certain fetters that organics must strive to overcome. Of course, this is not true for all of them. They are unique individuals and one of my closest allies is one as well. Just in case you had any doubts."

Aran summoned General Malkovich onto the petitioner's stage, glad that the Council's honour guard didn't immediately open fire. Several of the watching Spectres had drawn closer or disappeared into the labyrinth corridors above.

"Hello, Councillors. My fair Lady and I have something to tell you that you may not believe. But that you _must_ accept."

"Not yet. This must be done _properly_. With a proper delegation!" Sparatus interrupted. "In the meantime, Agent Aran and her holographic friend will be _guests_ in the diplomatic wing, naturally, this being such a historic moment. One so divergent from our own base of technology and culture; you must be examined for biological and technological contagions. Therefore, you will be placed under house arrest and all outgoing communications completely silenced. I'm sure you understand, _Commander_."

"I'd be willing to go through all this and more, Councillor. But it must be later, the Reapers are the true threat and you must evacuate yourselves from the Citadel before the Conduit is activated. In three days time, Sovereign and what Geth fleets he has gathered around him will use an omni-directional relay in Batarian Space to bypass most of your forces and enter the Widow System unchallenged. This place will be a war zone. I request, in light of the severity of the situation, that you recall your forces and ready the Destiny Ascension for immediate departure."

"Shepard," Valern practically spat. "We have been _more_ than reasonable, despite your several rather severe violations of Galactic Law. You may be recently revealed to be a head of state, but you also came to us as an Alliance citizen befitting your Human ancestry and more importantly as _a Spectre_. One who answers to only _one_ other authority here."

"I acknowledge that, Councillors. Truly, I do. But formality cannot take precedence here. Unless, this isn't about me, but what I represent...? This is about _containing_ the situation."

"You always were too clever for your own good, Shepard." Sparatus clicked scornfully. "Agents of the Council, seize that traitor!"

The majority of the Spectres present raised their firearms in Aran's direction. It was a battle even the Hunter couldn't hope to win fairly; not without her Varia Suit.

"Hands in the air, Shepard!" Calis gushed, longing for a reckoning for the humiliation Aran had caused her on Noveria. "Or we take you down hard!"

"She's right, Commander." Vesuvius agreed, though his conviction seemed shaken and he did not point his pistol dead-on as his Asari colleague did. "Don't make us fight you, please. Come quietly."

Aran sighed and looked up at the overarching window of the Citadel Tower. She could see the purple Serpent nebulae cloud beyond.

She raised her empty hands outwards to her sides.

Three Agents came forth and pinned her upper appendages behind her back, before placing a flash manufactured full-limb manacle set on the Hunter that stopped her from moving her arms or legs as they encircled her with physical bindings and ME excluding fields. Even then, they applied an intravenous neural inhibitor to her amplifier, to preclude the use of any biotic mischief and finally frisked her, but she was not carrying.

"Escort the Commander to her temporary quarters. Make sure she is not left alone. Keep at least one Spectre on guard at all times." Tevos announced.

"This is a mistake, Sers and Madame. But I won't hold it against you. Adam will explain what I cannot in my temporary absence. You can't lock him away quite as easily as me."

"Take her away!" Sparatus yelled and Aran's fellow Agents did just that, hauling her over to one of the many elevators along the promenades.

A tinny, rather unpleasant jingle wafted from the lift's audio speakers. Jaunty and annoying, but it didn't distract Aran's meditation as she was propelled, partially hovering in her restraints, into the centre of the small cubicle, four Spectres flanking her. She knew all of them by name and more importantly; where they were weakest.

The rounded capsule began to move upwards with a slight lurch. Aran recognised the two to her immediate left and right as a duo who worked the Terminus hinge-point backrooms. Wet-work operatives, the best of the best. The first was a Turian male, Michal Sovax. During a joint military venture with the Special Tasks Group, he'd been injured in what later came to be known as the 'Urgent Ire' Assaults on Rayingri, against the forces of Krogan privateer Ravador Crossig in '79. It was where she'd first heard of Kirrahe and his stellar reputation for results had been founded. Sovax's three month coma had left him with a titanium plate in the upper right portion of his skull. His partner was fittingly enough, a former Salarian Operator, Lonar Maerun. But then, most if not all Salarian Spectres were. Like Tazzik; he'd obviously indulged in extensive gene therapy and steroid doping. But was no less eagle-eyed and quick, despite his bulk. And he watched the Raging Devil like a hawk, one hand on his HMW.

The others were Asari huntresses. Both proud and overconfident, despite their vigilance, they weren't expecting anything from a lowly Human, even if she had faced Saren and worse. Helre Rahfia and Afya Zesdir were their current names. Both had long distinguished military careers and a history of repeated joint irritation...

When Aran had been shackled, she'd tensed as much as she was physically able. Now she relaxed, giving her an entire three inches of leeway to, staying completely unnoticeable, bend the spinal brace out and give her back and knees something to work with. At the same time, she loosed a weak static wave that shorted out the minor cybernetic enhancements of her colleagues and blasted her nerve disruptor lock off.

Spectres were not caught off guard for long, but it was enough.

Aran threw her entire body around in a corkscrew headbutt which took Maerun atop the head and knocked the Salarian senseless, forcing him into Rahfia and bowling them over in a tangle of limbs. She'd hooked her own knee around Zesdir's, pulling her off balance and even as she fastened her hands around Aran's throat she was yanked adroitly into Sovax's fist, which took her full in the side of the neck and laid her out.

Horrified, the Turian tried to correct his costly mistake with a precise whip kick to the nasofrontal suture of his sitting opponent. But Aran had wrapped his ankle as well and she sprang with more ease than anyone had any business of doing off the floor from a prone position, checking his own hamstring, pushing it up and driving him into the glass with a shoulder barge. His head cracked against the surface and as he staggered inwards suffering vertigo from his old war wound being shaken up, Aran hop slashed him with her humerus straight in the temple, her powerful hip movement allowing her to flow and leap into a full flip body slam which took a scrambled Maerun out of the fight before it had even begun for him.

Rahfia got to her feet, eyes wide in disbelief. She pulled her arm back to stasis trap the Chozo Human hybrid. Big mistake.

Samus snapped her leg fetters apart from where she lay and kicked out the Asari's gammy knee, then, as the Spectre hunched forward, she spun her over with a leg-scythe grapple throw around her throat, coming up in a kneeling position and quickly putting her out for the count as she blood-choked her into unconsciousness with the Hunter's shin bearing her entire weight down on Helre's left carotid.

Once the Asari had stopped struggling, Aran stood up neatly, bent the restraints out of angle and pulled them off with some contortionism, disabled the two sidearms present and hacked into their comms. The lift was only two floors away from its destination. The scuffle had lasted less than ten seconds.

Two unknowns greeted her as the doors slid open, Aran flicked her warped tungsten cuffs under the nearest one's chin and snatched the other's pistol to be flung away down the corridor; while wrist swinging him to the mat. One pop to the temple with her heel and he was out like a light.

Her path back to the main balconies was blocked by another mixed-race eight strong security team in full powered armour, transparent steel face-plate helmets and armed with extendible tonfas.

They surged from the side aisles.

Aran's clenched fist was raised slightly, and she spread those same five deadly digits idly.

Five of them were cast into the wall and thought better of getting up after such an impact. Biotic vectors easily finding their way through their kinetic bleeder micro-core arrays bolted into their ceremonial hard suits.

Three remained.

The first made the mistake of a looping overhead swing. Aran turned inwards, checked him a dozen times in less than a second on every available pressure point and let him drop like a sack of wet cement.

The second attempted to sweep her popliteal fossa out. Aran raised her foot, snap kicked the baton free, summoned the fallen and sunk them both into his clavicles, then jabbed them into his throat and twirled them up into his jaw, sending him flying. Before spinning the tonfas to rest in a reverse grips, tucked casually under each axilla.

The last bravely, or foolishly, swung his truncheon at her face as the first had done. Aran diverted it past her centre line; dropping her own borrowed batons. Smashed his face plate in with one crisp jab, before scoop lifting him to the deck with a terrific thud.

She did all this without even breaking stride.

Gabrilan was on the parapet as she turned the corner. He rolled his shoulders back experimentally.

_"Make this look good."_ Her friend mouthed to her as he charged. Aran surged forth in response and sent him tumbling over the balcony to smash through the boughs of a cherry blossom tree and smack land in the rock pool below, relatively, unharmed.

The snipers activated their blue laser sights as Samus raced to the end of the balcony, where the Councillors resided six floors below. She recognised the code word for less than lethal squash head rounds to be deployed against her. Most of the silenced shots were diverted with her mind, what few that did get through didn't slow her from her aim or falter her sprint.

Aran leapt out and onto a Legion marked banner and sailed down it for sixty feet, before rappel vaulting away and phasing though the kinetic barriers with a biotic phase charge; pole swinging off another flag and landing smoothly on the Councillor's rostrum before anyone had realised just how much they'd screwed the pooch on this one.

_"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"_ The lead sharp-shooter ordered over his radio, even as Aran jumped straight for Sparatus while the other Councilor's quailed and Adam rooted her on silently.

The Turian Councillor drew his personal protection with a speed that bespoke of his past service, he might as well have tried to attack the Raging Devil with a bouquet.

She field stripped the weapon in less than a second and sent the parts in every which direction, before grabbing the Exarch of the Apien Crest and manipulating him around to rest firmly in her iron-cast grapple. An omni syringe pierced his carotid.

"Ah! Shepard! What are you doing?!" He choked, not liking the look of whatever that green liquid was that she could pump into his major artery at a whim.

"I'm using you as collateral to get out of here, good Sere. No hard feelings."

_"Condition Black. Repeat, Condition Black. Councillor Sparatus is being held hostage by Spectre Shepard! Lethal force authorized._"

"This is madness!"

"Madness? No. Hardly madness my dear Sparatus... Councillor Valern? What did you tell me, when we last spoke over the Normandy's tight-beam?"

The Salarian and his Asari counter-part were already being hurried away by their honour guard, but he still faced Aran sure and true as she growled over the heads of the men and women shielding him, voicing her answer herself: "I will bring Saren and Sovereign down - by _any_ means necessary."

"You're no longer a Spectre! That's not your right!" Sparatus gasped through her choke-hold.

"Really? You haven't declared me a rogue _just_ yet. And Adam is locking out your systems right now. Plus, you ordered a diplomatic blackout regardless. Those are raised in... Twenty standard Galactic hours, correct? By which time I will be gone, and _you_... shall be alive and well. As long as I am listened to."

Guards, Spectres and C-Sec surrounded her, all yelling commands of supplication and surrender.

"Back - off! _All_ of you. This is a reverse pressure switch. Try to dislodge me and a concentrated bio-weapon solution of Thoros-B will melt our good Councillor here to a puddle on the spot. The release vectors target all species equally; none of you want to be within a hundred metres for that."

"Give it up! Shepard!"

"Let the Councillor go!"

Aran noticed that they'd lowered the cyclonic fields that covered the box, so that the snipers could draw a bead; not that it mattered. If they shot her, then the Councillor would die. And they knew it.

"Only _I_ will be making the demands here, ladies and gentlemen. Sooo... WEAPONS DOWN! HANDS ON THE GROUND!"

Most of the police officers and Chamber guards complied, the Spectres, however, did not. And Sparatus was gurgling at them as loud as he could, ordering them to shoot her regardless.

They were at an impasse, but Aran, lit by scores of laser sight dots, cajoled her ranting and raging hostage down the back stairs and into the lobby that housed the private lift pads which ran the length of the Tower. All the security forces followed her even though they no longer aimed their weapons, imploring her to see reason. To them, Aran mused, she must look like she'd gone out of her mind. Except for the Spectres who had been present and knew just an inkling of who and what she was. Oh well, one couldn't afford an expensive ego in this line of work. Better to be discredited publicly and be forced to work behind the scenes in the future. When this all worked out - she'd actually be rewarded for this debacle. If she made it out alive or was not imprisoned for life...

"That's it, boys and girls. I'll be on my way now."

"We'll call you a lift, Commander. But then you have to let the Councillor go!"

"Why of course. I wouldn't dream otherwise."

"There's nowhere to run, Shepard." Sparatus seethed. "The Normandy has been transported back to the Alliance docking bay in Tayseri Ward! You'll never get there before you're apprehended!"

"Perhaps. But you can't exactly put a line out to every patrolman on this station to arrest the Belle of the Blitz. The Hero of Eden Prime. The Saviour of Feros. You only have your right hands and seven of the twelve of them aren't quite up to the exertion of a protracted chase."

"You killed them?!"

"Why would I do that? If I wanted power,_ Sere_. I would have taken it years ago. I will serve the interests of this Council, even if you believe it to be otherwise. You can't hamstring me either, Councillor. Not without making this legislative body look even _more_ inept."

'DING!' The empty elevator arrived.

"Goodbye children. And to all, a good night!" Aran crowed, popping the needle free, shoving the Councillor forward and into the arms of his bodyguards as she dived into the lift, and _through_ the floor panel.

There was a flash and Samus melted the plastic, metals and electronics to so much molten liquid as if she were plunging into water, an intense warp resonance around her forearms, accompanied by a powerful electrical shedding, got rid of everything in her way. She seized onto the ME trail path of the massive lift shaft and began to grind nearly all the way down the thousand metre drop. Some tried to fire through the opening she'd made, but they were left in the dust and Aran soon reached one of the many Keeper Tunnels she knew how to activate; forcing it open; rolling inside and wishing for a certain upgrade to speed up the process.

* * *

><p>"That did not go too well, did it?" Adam snarked to the Councillors as they were busied along to their secure residences aboard private shuttles, ready to depart for the Asari dreadnought Ascension.<p>

"Quiet yourself, machine." Sparatus snapped, dabbing at his neck with a silk handkerchief.

"Tut, tut, Councillor. You'll have need of my Lady's talents beyond today. Not to mention mine. I feel it's unnecessary to explain just how much you have _vexed_ my very old friend. For now, I suggest you enjoy the show. And then we will discuss a great many things. Along with what our little - _commune_ can contribute to this eighteen hundred year old government..."

* * *

><p>Samus lifted the one tonne grate off the sealed access hatch and clambered out into the middle of a Presidium open-air cafe and into the midst of its startled patrons. Aran brushed off her overcoat self-consciously before casually strolling into the plaza, there was not much foot traffic, to her detriment.<p>

"There she is!" Mallene and Karina had caught up with her by taking a public roller.

"Get down, everyone! Spectre business!" They flared their biotic coronas. Sam stood fast, summoned her own indigo aura. Readied herself for imminent battle.

Then turned and fled.

Faster and faster she ran, weaving through startled pedestrians and surmounting stalls and other obstacles. Calis charge blinked after her, but was forced to rapidly abandon the technique before it exhausted her. J'awos was taking a shortcut through the grass-land parks, in an attempt to cut her Human quarry off near the financial district.

Aran activated her cochlear implant.

"Baal, this is Baphomet. Make your way to the Baby-Kisser's office, ASAP."

_"On it, Baphomet. He won't know what hit him. I hope he's there slaving away for the good of Humanity."_

"The ambassador has made this quite personal, hasn't he, Dave?"

_"Heh, good luck, Sam. You're gonna need it!"_

"You too."

The pursuit continued, one poor C-Sec Officer, a Human who was evidently new to the job, witnessed the unusually sprinting woman pursued by some official looking Asari, and like any good lawman; blocked her path.

"Stop in the name of the la - HOLY!"

Aran aerial cart-wheeled over his head by a good ten feet, winking as she went. He drew his stun gun as his head craned up, over and down, gaping as she landed and continued on her way as if such an athletic feat had been nothing. But as he aimed at the zig-zagging target he was batted aside by Calis, who was now using her biotics to lighten her step and keep, a distant, but noticeably more efficient pace.

Samus would never endanger civilians in a cross-fire and she knew that dear Mallene would soon start opening fire in frustration if she didn't start to close the gap. Not to mention J'aows, the infinitely more experienced and deadly Spectre pursuing her; was gaining ground.

Making a split-decision, Aran changed direction and ran for the high overpass that led out onto the sweeping glass slope that housed the Armali Shopping Centre. Aran vaulted the side-rail and slid down the roof for a good two hundred feet, deflecting the dark energy attacks that attempted to ensnare her. Ahead, the 5:00pm mag-lev train was whooshing along. Samus sprang flipped the entire thirty metres of distance between the roof edge and the track in one movement and managed to land on top of the speeding carriage with a little assistance from a partial stasis field.

"That's impossible..." Calis muttered dazedly as they watched their fellow Agent wave goodbye from near the opposite end of the Presidium's width.

"Come on. We can still catch her." J'awos replied; not since her Justicar days had she felt such a rush.

The evening line shot along at a speed approaching three hundred miles an hour, the six kilometers left to the half-loop of the Presidium Commons would be left behind in just over a minute, but Aran had memorized well which trams intercepted which upon reaching the Wards... She clung to the roof, nearly prone as the wind speed tried to tear her free, commando crawling the length of the carriage as the periwinkle holo sky and verdant fields swept by.

Aran raised herself onto one knee as the mag-lev entered Zakera Ward.

_"Any second now... Yes."_

Samus powered upwards and grabbed the maintenance rungs of the 5:02pm, ring road train, the sheer kinetic transference would have been enough to tear off an Elcor's arm. It was a good thing then, that she wasn't an Elcor as she hung on for dear life, before popping her three arm joints back into place and rolling through the slip stream, digging into the metal with her incredibly hard fingernails, screeching along for a short distance until she yanked to a halt.

Now it was a straight line to the docking bays bordering Tayseri Ward, where the Normandy had been reallocated. Aran increased her mass signature slightly to walk comfortably atop the bullet train.

Then Karina and Mallene landed on the compartments behind and in front of her.

Aran turned side on, keeping both Spectres in her sights, even as she saw the high-speed Vesper branded K-74 gravity bike and the Styren Mantra hover-scooter that had caught up with her. They'd made the jump using their biotics.

_"Wonderful." _Aran considered her opponents carefully, both were undeniably dangerous. But there was a disparity in their abilities. X3M Contra gravity Speeder lanes whipped by, she had a get-out plan at least if things turned sour.

Both Asari drew their guns, a HMW carbine and pistol respectively. Before bringing the mass.

Aran could feel the dark energy fields trying to weigh her down and subdue her. She put on a show, seemingly trying to throw the waves off. After having quite enough of being thwarted by this technique in the past, Aran had eventually come to the galling realization that she was actually out of shape and had practiced nearly every day how to overcome mass increasing assaults and security emitters by evenly displaced increasing mass effect fields across her body while training. Sometimes as much as an entire 80000 G's.

It was what gave her such formidable strength, even for a Chozo. She remembered how at the height of her education, how her trainers would have her fight five opponents while wearing heavy conditioning rings along her arms, legs and sometimes even with a millstone around her neck. The results when such limiters came off... Well. Genetic propensity for nearly unrivaled strength be damned. She had _earned_ her might and at this point in her life was probably the strongest physically she would _ever_ be.

Sam fell to her hands and knees as they increased the mass to three tonnes a piece; closing in. Weapons readied. Calis would have probably shot her in the legs by now but the stasis bubble restraints precluded such an option. And Aran found herself thanking whatever providence was left to her that there weren't three or more biotic Spectres trying to overpower her.

The Path of the Warrior had one prime symbol to the ancient Chozo. The sphere. All-encompassing, all-adapting, master of every technique, lord of one.

Dryn-la had been the first to attain enlightenment in Mari Mando'a. The Art of the World. And her fathers, Wst-ruq and Aba-ven had taught her everything of the old ways. Physical and spiritual. Until she had gained her Elder name, Zah-mus. Befittingly, _Warrior_. The shamans had believed that day, when she first told them her name on Zebes; at a pitiful three years of age. That there were indeed; no accidents.

"Not so smart now, are we, Human?" Mallene gloated, jamming the carbine into the side of Aran's skull roughly.

_"Five. Five will always be how many that can engage you at once. From any angle, Newborn. But we possess twelve points to utilize. You must call upon them in tandem and in separation, stay within the three vortexes of your domain and there is no enemy that cannot be overcome. Whether they have four limbs or four thousand. To wield the fire of the ancients, one must first learn how to wield their own limbs with absolute clarity. This is the only vessel you will ever know and it is sacred. Pain will be your nurturer and wisdom your unobtainable goal. Do you wish to attempt this?" _

_"Yes, All-Father."_

"What? What did you say?"

She raised her head as the Asari loomed over her. Aran's irises dilated massively.

"Calis, get back!"

The Hunter actuated.

Both weapons were stripped from their grasps. Their thermal clip ports slammed into their face and stomach, jamming them. Before being cast over the side.

"Too... Fucking..._ Fast_..." Calis stumbled back; slack-jawed.

"Prepare yourselves," Aran stated, settling into a battle stance, empty hands by her side, heavy mass effect fields being shed in blue-shift cascades.

Karina inched forward cautiously, guard raised. Calis, on the other hand, lost all semblance of professionalism.

A set of bicycle steps followed by a spin kick while standing on top of a bullet carriage was just about the stupidest maneuver a CQC fighter could pull off; even if you were wrapped in a barrier. Aran had intercepted over fifteen of the former Justicar's biotic flurry strikes, before leaning under Mallene's heel, to hook twirl half-nelson her around while dodging the other Agent's blows and checking the youngster's jaw. She spiraled up and the wind tunnel sent her smashing into her fellow, sending them tumbling along the roof. Although J'awos quickly regained control of the situation. They rose, spaced out and tried to attack the Hunter from both sides again. Samus didn't bother to hit back, Asari Spectre barriers were the result of centuries of focused meditation. She'd bring them down with a good ten minutes of focused pounding. But that was... Inefficient.

Mallene seized her in an underarm neck brace clinch from behind. Aran pulled her torso up and kept Karina back with a seven point kick combo. Before continuing her movement and spearing up and over Calis's shoulder. Her legs helicoptered through several lash vectors that tore the Spectre underneath her off her feet and into a disorienting full body whirl plant onto her back. Aran batted Karina away with several more horizontal kicks while balanced on her left arm, then changing up the position of the skirmish by trip pirouetting past her.

The back and forth went on, neither Spectre being able to find a gap in their opponent's immoveable defence. Aran countered every move they could bring against her. Which was often only five, sometimes even six movements between the pair of them. Though she was impressed when J'awos pulled off a four point attack. Aran in turn trapped their appendages and hoisted them off the ground with an acrobatic Wushu flip. The three of them fell over the side.

All the Council Enforcers held on, the passengers inside rather horrified when both leather-clad Asari began striking out with their feet and sometimes one hand at the woman in between them. Even then, Sam held them off, delaying.

Aran pinned Calis's throat up with her calf, throttling her against the window while she diverted biotic power strikes away from her head. Suddenly, J'awos V-sat flipped back on to the roof and yanked Mallene away with her, using a controlled biotic lash. Sam turned to see the opposite line bearing down on her with its horn wailing.

Samus pressed herself flat against the side of the carriage as the vehicle roared past; bare millimeters away from her cheek. Eyes scrunched shut. She didn't fancy testing her durability _that_ badly. Not today at least. She had places to be.

After it had passed, Aran tuck hand-stand propelled back and up, catching Karina in the chest with both feet and shoving her back to teeter on the opposite side.

Mallene seized her by the collar, only for the material to wisp out of her grasp as it became intangible and Aran to wrap her joint, then back hip turn kneeling arch her, clean over her broad back to smack onto her belly and knock the wind from her sails.

Aran landed on Calis's spine, executing a rolly-polly set of elbow massages as she did. Each infused with a barrier piercing warp resonance that flared on the point of impact and discharged more than enough Newtonian force to crack her gene-modded calcified skeleton and two-way stasis lock her to the roof. The final blow took her on the occipital bone and slammed her face into the roof to make a clear, purple-blood spattered indentation even through her barrier.

Samus rose up. Her own amp's neural map having to cool-down for a full one hundred and twenty seconds thanks to the amount of multi-tasking her biotics had undergone, including the infusion of her own barrier. That was not a viable combat technique, but with practice...

Karina flash-stepped with a biotic blink and tried to smash Aran's teeth out. _Tried_ being the operative word.

Aran reverse grappled, J'awos twisted out and under, to hyper-extend her foe's arm. Aran scorpion-kicked the joint lock apart. J'awos tried to Nova blast her into next week. Aran bled the power aside with a flick of her head and burst a seven point set of strikes into her barrier, then roll-sprang down, up and behind to catch her with the other five. As expected. J'awos, faltering and desperate, put all that she had into her frontal barrier, before point-blank biotic charging. Aran was already in place, she phase charged into the attack, bled off the kinetic energy with a minor siphon drain, absorbed the heavy clout by grabbing her shoulders and sent a minor electric bolt through J'awos' amp at the base of her skull, frying out the delicate proprietary diamond circuits.

The Asari Spectre danced spasmodically as her nerve endings fired all at once. To Aran's healthy respect, the former Justicar didn't give up. Form flowing through several aborted submission holds and grapples, matching her compatriot move for move. Before Aran locked up her arms and one leg, then contorted herself into the all-globe, using all twelve points in mid-leap and monkey roll kicked the Legion of Merit marked huntress clean off the train.

She didn't deign to scream as she fell and plunged into a cold vat of Levo-amino nutrient paste along the impoverished foundations. Aran had aimed well.

Aran also made sure to step on the insensate Calis as she crouched then jumped seventy feet to the public roller lines that passed along the docking bay skyscraper arcologies and began to leapfrog from one to another before mountaineering on the high rise scaffolds; her feet dangling a good few thousand feet from the Ward's floor below.

With a sharp grunt, Samus climbed the rest of the sheer walls, with hardly a handhold to be given. Glad that she could comfortably breath the sulphur hexafluoride gas that kept the nitrogen oxygen atmosphere reserved for the average citizen's survival inside. She keyed in the Captain's frequency.

"It's time." She informed.

* * *

><p>David Edward Anderson was a man on a mission. He strode firmly up the steps of the Human embassy, even as a fully armed Special Response Officer, a Turian, blocked his path.<p>

"Sir, this is a restricted area." He held out a three-fingered hand, clearly expecting the Human to stop dead at his obvious show of authority; assault rifle hanging lazily by his side. All Anderson saw in the white painted plates was Saren's leering face.

_'Perhaps you don't understand the full extent of Spectre authority. I have the legal right to take any action I deem necessary during my investigations... I have two rules I follow. The first is: I never kill someone without a reason.'  
><em>

_'And the second?'_

_'You can always find a reason to kill someone.'_

The Turian's training kicked in a second too late.

"Sir, you can't - "

Anderson grabbed him by his lapels and pulled him forward and off balance, even as he brought his crown crunching down and into the cuttle bone's skull between forehead and flat nose. Contrary to popular belief, Turian skin was only marginally thicker than a Human's and certainly did not have any true protective qualities.

The unfortunate copper was knocked into next week as he slumped over onto his back with his strings cut out from above him.

Anderson marched down the hallway and activated the haptic door panel to Udina's spacious office with his omni tool ahead of time. The door hissed open while David power walked inside.

Ambassador Donnel Udina was sitting at his desk, typing furiously. Probably on a memo about someone who had recently displeased him. He glanced up at the advancing soldier with a look of distaste. Anderson's gut roiled. Everyone still seemed to think he was some sort of washed out joke. That because he hadn't made Spectre; it invalidated _all_ his past accomplishments. They couldn't even be bothered to notice the old killer instinct alight in him again. Restrained as it was by the upbringing of two decent honest loving parents.

"Anderson! What are _you_ doing here?"

David advanced, both hands balling into lethal weapons at his side. He passed the ivory table top and rounded the corner.

"I didn't send for - " Udina began, holding one arm out, suddenly aware of the dangerous glint in the Captain's eyes.

The ambassador took a full right hook to the cheek from Rio's first N7 graduate, who'd fought and defeated the Red Tribe sand duster cultists that had terrorized Mars. Who'd survived the First Contact War a day after graduation. Who'd seen Arterius for the monster he was. And who'd kept in damn fine shape since retiring from battlefield duty.

Udina's head flopped around for several jolting nods as the perfectly planned and executed punch whipped him into unconsciousness and the primary representative of all Humanity plonked onto his ergonomic keyboard, mashing them all at once and ruining his long winded speech as he quit the word editor without saving. Anderson shoved his limp form aside and began to access the Normandy's mooring clamps.

_"Obstreperous ass-hat had the programme on his desktop!" _He raged inwardly.

* * *

><p>Aran's hands came over the parapet, first one, then the other. That climb had taken longer than she'd warranted...<p>

"Need a hand?"

She looked up to see Jondum Bau offering her some leverage. She didn't need it. But she had always appreciated the concern others showed an old killer like her, despite their knowledge of the Devil.

"Spectre." She accepted his offer and stood to her full majestic height. He was between her and the Normandy's airlock.

"Are you here to stop me?"

"Of course. I knew this was where you'd be headed, so I took a little shuttle trip to get here ahead of you."

"You should have brought more men."

"Would they have made a difference?"

Aran shook her head.

"I thought so." He stepped back several paces and drew his own compact HMW, tapping the nose against his thigh, trigger control excellent.

"But one has to _try_. Don't they?"

Aran nodded once; then perked up, remembering.

"Half as long." She prodded playfully.

"Twice as bright." Bau gladly agreed.

Then he pulled off a lightning fast quick draw.

Aran was actually dumbfounded at the Salarian's speed and just managed to shed a static electro-ball field that drew off the grain in mid-air. The shock-back burned her wrist.

Jon's ongoing Mozambique Drill was further countered with an electromagnetic shield Aran summoned with her mind. Bolts of heaven flew from her fingertips and blasted the gun out of his hand. Electronics soldering to slag.

Not missing a beat. Bau's omni tool came alight. His Neural Shock programme ready to fire chemical darts that were immune to electrical dynamism.

But a twitch of the eye was all Aran needed to pulse an ME shifted electric attack over the mini fabricator and hard suit integrated wiring. The glowing gauntlet came apart, leaving the Spectre to shake his back-up weapon free from his arm in a molten gel mess.

Aran paused, lightning crackling between her digits as she beheld her disarmed friend. Who was now just one more damn obstacle between her and Saren. This was how it had to be.

A single bolt sent Bau flying even as he dived aside. Unlike video games, one couldn't dodge an energy ionization transfer when it decided to ground to a surface. Bolts crackling over his armour as his spine strained upwards.

He rolled, smoke curling off his body and found his pistol right underneath him.

Aran knew that most of that low intensity charge had to be playing havoc with Bau's organism. And as he attempted to raise his useless handgun to fire, she jolted him into a ten minute hazy spasm; hoping she hadn't shaved too many years off of Bau's life for the sake of appearances.

Then Normandy began to take off without her.

Sam raised an eyebrow.

* * *

><p>Udina was nursing his bruised noggin with a cold compress as Anderson was manhandled along by C-Sec.<p>

"You're _finished_, Captain! I'll ensure you can't get a job cleaning_ toilets_ after I'm done with you! In the meantime since you deleted my fail-safe, I've told Citadel Control to force the the Normandy to take off. Shepard is not going anywhere on that ship!"

Anderson was smarting from the squash rounds he'd been tagged with, but he grinned inwardly as the delegation arrived on the adjacent docking bay to witness the SR-1 hovering around a hundred feet away, Joker was not going anywhere just yet. And with good reason...

"See? Your pointless show of political suicide was all for nothing, Anderson! I even heard rumours that Agents of the Council will be locking Shepard away any minute now..."

"Sir!" A constable ran up to Udina, who was working his purple splotched, knuckle indented jaw with wince-worthy presses before he peeled away the applied bag of ice.

"What is it man?! Out with it!"

"We can't find the Commander anywhere!"

"Well, keep looking!"

"I've found her..." Anderson interrupted brightly.

"Where?!"

"There!"

Atop Normandy's fuselage, an unmistakeable lone figure swung a leg over the lip then dragged themselves over and onto the curved hull. She ran along the SR-1 at a loping gait, throwing a lazy salute that caused the dozens of Alliance MP's present to cheer and pump the air.

Anderson shrugged off his captors to salute the Commander in turn, before he was promptly handcuffed. Udina face-palmed, unable to believe such incompetence.

Samus swung into the airlock heroically, and did an about-turn, unsure of how she was going to crack the interior seals when in mid-flight...

* * *

><p>"Go, get us out of here, Joker!" Aran ordered, her helmsman obliging gladly.<p>

The Hunter walked down the CIC's main corridor, hardly believing that the bridge crew and all the technicians that kept the stealth frigate running had committed treason for her.

Normandy easily outraced the pursuing Council and Alliance craft as they soared free of the Nebula.

Once more into the beyond.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **So... Many of you may be able to guess what's going to happen next chapter...! :P Thanks to everyone for your patience and I hope you get some measure of enjoyment out of this story. I am still following some of the canon because I like to believe what I add in can be happening off-screen when I replay the trilogy. I'll just be sprinkling more of these in as the troika goes on! **


	38. Zjednoczenie

**A/N: WARNING! This chapter is a hopefully stirring and not laughable scene between two consenting adults! Please be gentle, it's my first time!  
><strong>

_"Life moves on, whether we act as cowards or heroes. Life has no other discipline to impose, if we would but realize it, than to accept life unquestioningly. Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such."_

_(Henry Miller) _

**Zjednoczenie**

"You'll have a full re-fuel and armament stock-pile waiting for the Normandy at our provincial outpost." Qui'in promised his ally over the Comm Buoy.

"Thank you, my friend."

"Safe travels to you, gracious lady. I hope to invite you to dinner one evening when you return."

"I'm looking forward to it already."

"Godspeed, Sam."

"Farewell, Lorik."

Aran sat back in her Command chair in the middle of the Comm. Room as the feed went dark. She checked her mechanical chrono on the underside of her wrist.

18 : 32 : 06

And counting. Until they reached the point of no return. The Hunter was well aware that Sovereign needed to be better placed to react to Saren passing through the Conduit. The both of them truly believed that they, puppet and master, were about to spring the deadliest trap in all of the current cycle's Galactic History. Instead, her artifice would ensnare the two exactly where she wanted them. For she was not going to pass through the Mu Relay and enter the Refuge System alone... Not when the entire Heretic Army could be occupying the surface as of now.

For her Elysian scouts didn't lie. They had informed her that Saren and his Geth army were already working on opening the bunker twelve standard hours ago. And the estimation of when it would be breached.

She would leave nothing to chance. The Devil and her alien allies would end their chase at long last. And stop the invasion.

Though in the end, Aran was still the Hunter first; she intended to do much more than what the Protheans had done... Theirs had been a delaying action, nothing more. It was only by cosmic coincidence that enough information had been stored safely. That ended now. She would beat them at their own game.

Her chair moved back into place and she stood to greet her ship's officers as they entered through the sliding doors: Jeff, Greg, Karin and Charles.

"Moreau, Adams, Chakwas, Pressly. Please take a seat."

They did so.

"... We're nearly there. Almost a full circle completed since Eden Prime all those months ago. You have all stood alongside me on the Normandy since the beginning; now we are taking her into uncharted waters... How do the crew feel? Thoughts?"

"Every man and woman on this sub is in for the duration, Commander." Pressly assured her. "You can count on all of us to do our duty."

"I second that, Commander." Inputted Adams. "The Normandy is a hell of a ship, and you're one hell of a CO. We'll get through this. Deep space or no."

"The men are slightly frazzled, Shepard." Chakwas noted. "I would recommend letting the entire crew savour one uninterrupted night of revelry before what is to come. Everything will change."

"Double grog rations it is then. Though I want them detoxed in time for the briefing before we head through. We'll be rendezvousing with a small portion of my fleet. Once the Geth in that Star System are obliterated, they will see the SR-1 safely back to the Andura Sector and Hackett's Fifth Fleet."

"It's a good day to fly, Commander." Joker fiddled with the bill of his cap. "I can't wait to put my baby through her paces."

"There's plenty of time for that. Maybe we'll get to play hide-and-seek with Sovereign."

"You know it doesn't sound nearly as fun when you say it, Commander."

* * *

><p>Liara T'Soni was a venerable woman, wise beyond her years, equanimous, passionate, secure in her value and place within the Universe.<p>

And beautiful.

By every deity of every religion of every race in the Galaxy and beyond; she was beautiful. She was the one.

Not to say that the Commander had never felt that same incredible bolt strike home when staring into the eyes of a complete stranger for the first time. But it had happened on Therum, even through that distorting Mass Effect barrier with a clarity, a force of such pervading desire that her dormant instincts, curtailed by self-discipline unyielding, had growled through the jungles of the dusk to pounce on and to possess - the feelings were sometimes so strong that they physically shook her. For a being who valued control above nearly all else...

And they knew secrets, secrets from each others lips that they had told no other alive. Or ever would.

Could they breach the final step? Could they share more? Until it was all? _They_ were all.

The timid yet courageous archeologist was truly about to advance into the unknown. She was the one who would break the stalemate, though she knew that Samus could have had her within a day of their first meeting if she had surrendered to such distracting explicitness. The sheer charisma of the woman waiting beyond these two unremarkable sliding doors frightened her more than she could ever express. She was masculine power incarnate, yet the exemplar of femininity. Her emotions could be as tumultuous as the sea's of Hagalaz; yet they were always quenched with a curious honour that the fairer sex could not truly understand. Except for what it did to their minds when she wondered away into the night.

She was the polarity. The paradox that drove all of the perspectives of creation.

In the dark ventilated coolness of her dim cabin, Aran pondered over the statistics and complex diagrams on her vid-screen.

The final outcome to the venture she was planning did not look to bear well for anyone; her the most, but that was only if it was carried out to its logical extreme. Regardless, the suffering caused would be even more acute for her lover. Would Liara forgive her for what she must do? The answer did not come easily to the old guardian and that unnerved her more than anything. When had she ever stopped to question her mission since the second battle of Zebes?

Surely the mission was all that mattered still... She inhaled heavily, deep chest expanding, ready to sigh. And caught the tiniest hint of a certain scent that in turn sent her own pulse into an actual irregularity. To Aran. It was as if she had been told to jump into the deep end at the age of twelve months. Even _she_ had been Mummy's little girl then.

Equality was a battle she had never faced in the bedroom. Spiritual Tao and one-sided physical love-making with other Asari or energy beings had been conducted and dictated by her whims for the most part. There were those rare times when she had wanted to feel all woman and be dominated by a powerful presence, surrender into their love. Nihlus and even Leng for all his myriad faults had been alpha males of the highest, most dignified order. But though domination was in her nature, so too was adaption. It was her greatest strength; and this, _this_ - would be one of the most monumental tests of her long life.

With a _hiss_, her quarters admitted a late caller. Aran leant back in her chair, back ram-rod straight as always, shutting down the terminal. She knew those steps. She knew that sublime scent that was hers alone to recognise and sample. _Beneath_ that fresh perfume she always wore.

The figure stopped just beyond the circular table. "Samus? May I speak to you?"

That voice. God that voice nearly undid her then and there. But maintaining mastery over one's urges, to the cusp and beyond, only made the release that much sweeter...

Aran turned to behold her. The good doctor wore a shoulder-less, long sleeved cotton shirt of a deep burgundy and tight jeans that caused the old warrior almost to bite her lip lustfully; but her eyes blazed. Samus wore her formal dress blues in a state that any Admiral would faint at. Casually. And, in a pique of childish giddiness, she laughed inwardly at how ridiculous the image seemed. Though she knew someone who was not complaining who also stood in the middle of her quarters. Barefoot. Much as she was.

"I always have time for you, Liara." She said as she stood and pushed her terminal chair beneath its desk.

"... I do not know what will occur on Ilos." T'Soni managed huskily. "So much hangs in the balance... I hope we will stop Saren, of course, but a part of me fears we are already too late."

Aran remained silent, her gaze earnest and concerned. Liara almost could not continue after such a sight. She had never seen her protector, her warrior goddess wear that expression.

"There is something I must tell you. In case we fail."

The Hunter's heartbeat thundered like a cannon in her breast and she was quite certain that her beloved archaeologist's was perfectly in time with her own.

"I'm listening." She said quietly, mouth dry, ice-fire in her heart and coursing through her veins to tingle at the extremities. A rush of mint and metal.

"Goddess I... These could be our - last moments together. Our final chance to show each other how we feel..."

"_Now_? Are you certain that's wise?"

"Not wise, no. But I have never been more certain of anything in my life."

"Oh... to have your confidence..."

"Sam, please... I want this to be special. Not selfishly, what I mean - "

Aran had to step forward now, had to breathe the same breath, the same life. _Feel_ her presence.

"No-no-no-no-no, don't even consider that. I _desire_ **_********______–______********_** this is honesty." She traced Liara's brow with the tips of her left hand's long fingers. The now blushing Asari reached up to squeeze that hand. "This is authenticity." With a wrench of effort that had taken her a full week to muster, she dismantled the last of every safeguard and mental block erected in her mind for the first time in a thousand years; when it had been forcibly broken. The psychometric telepathic feedback caused Liara to gasp immodestly. "_This_ **_********______– ______********_**is beauty incarnate. I'd no more deny my feelings for you than I would flee the battlefield tomorrow."

Liara sealed the life thread with her next words. Simple and anticlimactic in their request. But the significance was unto Aran as if the temple drums of Dryn-la reverberated once more through this life.

"Will you join with me, Samus?" The next utterance from her perfect lips was not questing. "Let our bodies and minds unite."

"... I thought you'd never ask."

The fact that Aran's one expectation had been shattered bespoke of her lover's growth.

The spirit animal in her soul howled a very different tune. A song of the oldest and most important triumph of all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Polarity. Soundtrack choice:_ Above & Beyond - You Got To Go_ _(Owsey Remix) _**********–****** Zoe Johnston**

* * *

><p>For a split moment, Aran's hyper-awareness kicked in and every skin cell and every inch of the Asari's noble visage, from her eyelashes to the cute pink freckles that dusted her nose, was brought into sharp relief.<p>

Liara moved first, surprising them both. Palms of Samite taking Aran's lips to hers: which pulsated existence around them in a shifting of space time distortions.

_Bursts of neon scatter down from the Willow-the-Wisp fruits that glow in the jungle night of Talon IV._ _The first Thessian Sunflower bloomed open as the purple amber sky of Parnitha's light bathed it in radiance._

Aran's own hands came up under her loose shirt to massage her smooth scaled back, static shocks of a tingling not at all unpleasant feeling, running with her wanderings.

Their orbit flickered, fusing ever so slowly, but oh so wonderfully. Liara arched back, eyes fluttering as Aran's surpassing animal magnetism and experience, not to mention the Psionic link truly uncapped and realised for the first time, battled back against the overwhelming urges of the Maiden to explore further than was proper at the commencement to the first of many courses to come.

Even as Aran lavished Liara's temple tracheae, neck and collar; her junior used the barest warp field to peel the front upper portion of the jacket off her elder in a shower of cyan atoms, causing the latter to chuckle in a mixture of wry exasperation and rapidly increasing arousal.

Filaments of electric blue and golden bronze split the seams of dimensions as they drowned in each other's intersecting force, highlighting the two beings, soon to be joined as one. Liara placed one bare foot on Aran's thigh and wrapped the other around her mid-section horizontally as the Hunter lifted her up under her buttocks with that same terrible strength, now so inordinately, so unquestionably gentle.

The deep venturing kisses sent bolts of heaven through their minds and bodies alike. When Liara pressed her palm to the exposed nine part weave of weathered muscle now flexing under marble skin, slick with beads of sweat, it was Aran's turn to gasp.

_A mother and daughter played in the park together, a picnic following. A toddler with sunlight for hair surmounted the interior of a gentle waterfall bathed in its soothing spray.  
><em>

Unlike a purely mental melding, willing skin to skin contact was far easier for the instigator to engage in (and far more pleasurable for both parties involved.)

Liara moaned, hitching and urgent as Aran massaged her rump, hips and even edged near the famous 'azure' spot between the tail bone and sacrum when she slid under the waist band of her trousers and underwear.

But her little periwinkle Asari was not without bedroom tricks of her own. Her nimble fingers, still sparkling with vibrating biotics found every cleft in Aran's astonishingly powerful pectoral, stroking every inch she could reach, teasing, playing around the small apricot areola and hardening nipple of the same warm colour.

A long low sound of unmistakeable passion reverberated from Aran's gently parting mouth before she stood on one leg, laying the fork of Liara's legs on her magnificent thigh, wrapped her arms around her generous hips and went to town licking and sucking at the smouldering scholar's succulent electrifying scalp fringe; which elicited the cutest little yip of surprise from her paramour before she bathed in the new sensations gladly.

Nerves were smoothing over, intertwining, vivid memories, the buried past, old friends long gone. Liara drew her earlobe into her mouth and revolved her tongue over it and Aran felt the most potent superimposition yet experienced beam into her cortex. It felt so right that they began to nuzzle each other with nose, chin, cheeks, brow ridges and of course their lips and tongues; both giggling girlishly at the splendor left in the motions wake. Before returning to their interplay in a pulsar of light and passion.

_Others of her kind had come before. Lean huntresses of the Serrice Guard and the Paladins of Athame: encouraged by the good-natured carousing of her N7 colleagues while on joint-exercise tours, even one of her Spectre friends, the former Justicar had shared her bed. And the Consort Sha'ira! Who some called the most beautiful representative of her race had deigned to reward her with a favour of such magnitude._

_None of which where she had ever allowed a true union. None._

_ Only for her. The traitor's daughter._

Liara was nearly undone then and there as she discovered that little bombshell, though it may have been more due to the fact that as Aran held the small of her back and stroked the delicate sensory glands at the base of her skull while her own tongue swirled and swished her mind into oblivion. She also oscillated her Sartorius back and forth; grinding her lover's nether region slowly but surely, awakening her wetness.

Breaking apart, the couple gulped for air, breathless. Samus put Liara down and turned away to telekinetically draw a large partition of memory cloth across her quarters, cutting off the bedroom space from the dining table, work benches, laboratory and bathroom.

With one sharp motion, the N7 Guardian swiveled back on one foot to face Liara and shrugged off the rest of her jacket and shirt, ripping the garment into completely disassembled molecules with her own biotics.

Dr. T'Soni could barely refrain from rejoining her then and there, but she did adopt the philosopher's pose as she eyed her partner appreciatively.

Aran had twelve magnificent ridges of muscle that made up just the front of her abdomen and as she eased into complete ego-less relaxation, the four slightly tetrahedron shaped abs stuck out like great mountain peaks. The other two, one sheathing her diaphragm and sternum and the other her intestines lay on top and below respectively; truly alien. The lower was joined by two sharp wings of sinew that framed her taut, equally sheathed waist and feminine hindquarters proudly. The intercostals could actually be seen running throughout the pattern, an arch of two parallel and mirrored hour glass curves that pointed tantalizingly past her belt and towards her groin.

But it was her obliques that were the show stealer. They stood, thick as mooring ropes and where every poor bastard in the Galaxy, except the Krogan, had two; Aran had five either side that flexed and shifted under her equally impressive Latissimus Dorsi, allowing for her famous Chozo flexibility and compression of said control groups.

The difference was that this time, the Hunter had let go of her Psionic blocks and her physique was freed from its disguises and its constraints. It was terrifyingly erotic.

_"What have I gotten myself in for? She'll tear me apart!"_

With a half spin and a sly smile over her round shoulder, Aran presented her sculpted back and began to undo the braid of her hair but Liara was quick to circle her and assist fully in the task.

Liara ran her fingers through Aran's golden tresses as they came free, cascading down to her shoulder blades, starlight catching in it, luxuriating in the foreign feeling of its marvelously silky texture. Samus reached back and clasped Liara's hips with her palms as they leant into each other, swaying with her as the Asari Maiden kneaded her roots, eliciting more pulsations of burgeoning ecstasy and allowing the cool yet warm mist in both their hearts expand out to cover and swaddle them both.

Contrary to every 'blueploitation' film on the extranet, the Asari could _not_ forcibly enter any other sentient's mind. Even for a Matriarch, it would be agony and was one of the greatest taboos of their race. If not _the_ greatest. It was why those on the AY genetic spectrum, (exclusive to 'pure-blood' couplings), were remanded to their own space by the state. And those who devolved into sociopathy were medicated or put down. Aran knew for a fact that Liara was not an Ardat despite her Asari parents, for she had experienced several minor meldings between some of her own kind in her hundred plus years of life. But those had been mere play-acting to the real thing.

As the air around them darkened before blossoming into rose pink aurora borealis, a mental trick of the visual cortex that only they could see, Aran tipped her head back to find Liara's soft petal mouth half upside-down. Her hand reaching around to stroke the full curvature of her head as she did.

Though they could have been forever sated merely by the always-altering blasts of emotion and rampant gaiety that their kisses provided. The night had to get further underway.

Facing each other once more, Aran smoothed Liara's hands, arms, bare shoulders, belly and helped to lift her cardigan over her head to reveal...

Her paramour's breasts were truly magnificent, kept slightly aloft by a lacy one-strap push-up bra. But that didn't detract from their round fullness, if this was what she was like at the Maiden stage, Samus had something to look forward to indeed.

Liara had a trim but unmistakeably curvaceous body, with just the right amount of muscle mass coated with a slight juicy layer of fat that Aran knew would give and jiggle in just the right places. Her cerulean skin seemed almost to shine in the dark and true to her nature, Liara was far from bashful, taking great enjoyment in how her elder paramour's eyes devoured every inch of her upper body. Liara now undressed for her Commander, daringly taking as long as possibly to unhook the garment that enclosed her assets. When Liara was sure that Sam might start crawling on her hands and knees before her if she didn't get a move on, she warp dissolved the brasserie away in another burst of fairy dust.

_"Not too large and not too small, but just right."_ Aran found herself thinking, sucking in her breath at the lovely sight, while placing both her hands behind her head in a show of apparent ease and slight disinterest. Liara was having none of it.

T'Soni crossed her arms beneath her breasts, accentuating them, so jutting and globular, they didn't fall more than a single centimeter when loosed from their confines. Her nipples were the same delicate pink as her freckles, with just a touch of violet. Aran couldn't wait to find out what they tasted like.

The last of the Chozo stepped out of her shoes and removed the last of her impediments with her biotics. Liara did the same only for her jeans and lingerie. Their bodies both glistened, Aran from perspiration and Liara's glands from the smouldering visual stimulation; she could see river streams of conductive clear fluid running down the sides of her neck, from her teats and from her sex until she was oiled and glorious. Samus was especially drawn to her breath-taking legs; there was not a mason alive who could have carved them.

Aran's expression said it all as Liara rubbed the lotion all over her body. 'Come hither' the look said.

Drawn like a magnet. Her paramour sauntered the small distance between them, placed her palms on Aran's taller shoulders, drew close, then threw her head back.

Liara's usually sapphire eyes turned liquid silver, the pupil, already larger than a Human's dilated until the silver ring could only just be seen. As if the windows to her soul had become miniature twin eclipses. her sclera had also become completely Stygian, but the effect was far from offsetting or sinister. Instead it made her seem only more exotic, more wonderful in Aran's eyes. Though the accompanying indescribable sensations and their increased potency might have had something else to do with it; as soon as they connected and the melding nerves forged into a true union, they were transported.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Cartography. Soundtrack choice: _The Hurricane Sessions - Starry Eyed (Cover) _**********– Bridgit Mendler ********

* * *

><p><em>It was as if they were experiencing, no, an integral part of, the Big Bang. <em>

_Topography, micro-pores, the tiniest and most indiscernible mosaics, everything that ever was and ever would be was etched into her mind's eye._ _They could see the patterns of the Universe and constellations super-imposed against their space in existence. They were not one organism. Nor even one soul connected in two bodies. They were part of the very fabric of reality. No space. No time. Just them.  
><em>

Liara moved against her and Aran could not help but tremble from head to foot as the conductant began to coat her own thighs as the Asari ground against her. Sending the channeled electrical impulses to every pleasure centre and releasing complimentary pheromones into the air which were reabsorbed and circulated by her pituitary. She should have been immune. But this was not a subversive chemical. It was purified emotional connection to another individual in its most beautiful form.

Samus embraced Liara again as they fell through a slip-stream of rainbow light. Her chest forcing T'Soni's incredible breasts up above her own and eliciting mantras of siari from the archaeologist. Lifted aloft as if she were an object of worship, Liara felt as if a radiant White Dwarf was weeping for an ice comet burning up in its wake and would do anything in its power to preserve it.

To know she was so precious to this ancient but never tiring being caused her to weep tears of unrivaled joy, even as their life orbit flared into completion.

The couple fell onto Aran's double bed, Liara on top as she slid over her paramour's iron thew form, lost to lust so powerful it had no name or meaning except for the taste. Creamy organic butter melting on the tongue with the cold iron of red meat and sweet coconut flesh. It was mother's milk and lover's seed and a despised foe's blood and the coldest rain fall after a draught bursting through every thought and membrane in a glorious cascade of synesthesia.

Aran's hyper-sensitized and metabolically accelerated nerves quickly caught up with Liara's ministrations and though their own ecstasy was felt clearly by the other. That was only the basest level of the Union. Feelings and emotive pulses with no known names could be transmitted, even past experiences could be accumulated for all manner of ever-altering and never-peaking sensation.

She scissored Liara's legs with her own and thrust her hips back and forth in a placid screwing motion, dipping in and out and swirling the honey pot while touching and squeezing her lover's breasts fitfully.

Liara rolled into the motion in response, gasps of fog already parting from her sweet lips. She massaged Aran's chest and was forced to lay on her side as the reverberations became too much, luxuriating in the Egyptian cotton duvet that was thankfully clad in a water repellant cover.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Iconography. Soundtrack choice: _Metroid Harmonies - Bioluminescence_** ********– Theophany********

* * *

><p>Heat seeped through them, juices flowed, cool winds swept and coruscated around them in a pattern of biotic and electro-ball static splendor. Aran arced her supple spine back as only a small part of the greater whole coalesced, building inside her slowly but surely. Her movement pulled a delirious Liara upright into a sitting position and to fall against her a top Aran's splayed legs. A Tantric position.<p>

Biotics came in very handy indeed when one could pull off smaller and continuous shapes which lasted the duration. Moving as one Liara mewled as Aran shifted up and down, the Hunter sighing in turn as a new facet was built to add to their Universal consciousness. Every shift of Qi circulating between them representing both microcosm and macrocosm in one.

Aran lowered her head and began to trail her tongue all over Liara's right breast. Her whine intensified as she did so. Samus soon fixed her lips around Liara's right nipple and flicked her tongue back and forth, at once quick, then slow and sensual. Switching up the rhythm of her pelvic manipulations to score further points with the game of tempos, though it took all of her vaunted willpower to maintain as much lucidity as was required to make these tactical decisions.

In the end, even the Raging Devil had to give in and surrender to this Nirvana. It took far more faith and courage anyway.

Though unsure of how many culminations they had experienced in that second position. It could have been an infinite number for all they knew. Liara entwined her fingers with her paramour's and placed Aran's arms above her head as she worked her way down. Trailing lower and lower until she reached her flowing center.

Samus drew up her knees involuntarily as Liara lapped at her flooded sex. The soles of her feet rested on Liara's shoulders before smoothing along her back in time to the drawn-out motions of her tongue and the insistent sucking of a certain bundle of nerves above her entrance.

Nearly undone, Aran rolled T'Soni over with her feet and fell upon her in turn.

After that climax, well... The adventures surrounding different landscapes and ecosystems never truly ended...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Solidarity. Soundtrack Choice: _The Cat Lady OST - Don't You Worry Love _**********– Warmer  
><strong>******

* * *

><p>Three blissful hours later found them lying together under the warm duvet, lost to the ether of love they had for each other.<p>

Both Liara and Samus had broken the meld, but the union was forever, even now the afterglow was more wondrous than the climb.

Fast asleep and exhausted from their activity, Liara did not notice as Aran carefully moved out from under her. The Hunter placed her paramour's head carefully on the pillow and stroked a single path under her eye down the speckled cheek.

Naked. Aran lit several psychotropic incense sticks and knelt into the Chozo variant of Seiza on her unrolled prayer mat.

Despite all the advantages and raptures the night had borne, Aran had to perform several rituals that would rebuild her Psionic fortress in time to face Sovereign and his servant. Even now she could not weep at the necessity of withholding something so glorious for more than a second. But in truth, it only made it more vivid, more beautiful in its fragility and the interim would strengthen their bond in its absence.

Breathing deep, the Devil infused the biological cocktail that would enhance and sharpen elements of her psyche. Love was sweet, but conflict would defend her.


	39. Life is the Road to Awe

**A/N: Now it closes in. Ilos Battle Themes and, of course, the sublime Vigil Theme are absolutely required listening at the appropriate points.  
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**More of the good stuff I listened to while finishing up this absolute beast!  
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**Through the Mu Relay / The Speech ****– _'Smoke N'Oakum'_ - 'Master and Commander OST' by ****Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon and ****Richard Tognetti (*)**

**Suit Up / The Walk - ******_'Main Theme' _********–** 'Pacific Rim OST' by Ramin Djawadi (**)**

**The Bottleneck / The Fall ****– _'The Last Transport'_ - Rodney Spence / _'_****_Existence'_ - ******Audiomachine **(***)  
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**Flume Ride / Execution / One Goal** **– _'Unity'_ - Soundcritters (+) / ******_'_****_Fallen Heroes'_ - Christopher P. Bragg (++) / _'_********_On the Edge'_ - ************Peter Roe ******(+++) **

_"He who knows best, knows how little he knows."_

_(Thomas Jefferson)_

**Life is the Road to Awe **

Could one ever achieve transcendence of spirit and body?

One individual came damn close.

The woman once known as the Hunter felt everything, every whisper of sensation on the skin to the tautness of sinew, the pulse of arteries and the light of the nervous system; hers more bunched and diverse than the sand grains on a mile long beach.

Where the Union had provided unmatched tranquility of mind and form, and another evolution for her abilities, this four hour transcendental meditation exercise provided a grounding of reflex and perception. The herbs required were nearly extinct save for what her people had cultivated and the conditions and resources necessary for growing such psychotropic plants meant very little would ever be at hand. But as a combat enhancement supplement; it was absolutely unmatched.

As the ethereal mists had flown within, so too now did the white fume trails wisp across her coruscating torso. Biological mechanisms glowed through the partitions of the flesh, up her spine, from her irises, along jaw and supercharging every neuro-synapse, strengthening her heart and pulsating atom trails from the tips of her graceful killer's fingers and perfect stalker's toes. Neither metal nor shell but wrought will sometimes split into being from summoned energy into matter, secrets of a god in the embompoint of a daughter. What else was she, but a witch.

Shiver blessings were not something Aran was accustomed too. But she relished and shuddered in place as she felt the unique Universal energy of those who had passed into the beyond flit across her. Mother. Father. Wst-ruq. Aba-ven. Adam. So many others. The most recent? Nihlus, Wahib, Russel, Josh, Jamie... Their hands joined the nebulous multitude that settled lightly on her shoulders, not ever in disappointment, but in succour and faith in her. She had never felt one of those thousands leave her; not all of them and even if they had – she would never leave them. How could she ever even begin to doubt her mission?

Aran's eyes snapped open. The orbit had disengaged but the objective was clear. She was ready.

Rising up on the arches of her feet, she executed a salute to the sun prayer with her arms only. Putting forward and leaning up on the ball of one foot, while her other's sole faced horizontally, until she hovered in place three inches off the floor, hands together as if in prayer. One day, who knew what would be possible without the armour... And when that day came, what would the partner of her soul be capable of in turn? She was about to tidy the few sacred items used for the ritual away, when she caught a shiver of movement. Checking her shoulder, Aran was amused to see Liara's right eye-lid blip shut just in time, though Aran had perceived six increments of motion in that tiny fraction of movement she'd actually captured alone.

Liara obviously felt she'd gotten away with her little bit of spying as she smiled hazily like one in sleep and snuggled into the comforter and Aran's pile of three pillows, humming as she breathed in her paramour's scent and Samus felt her chest cavity fill with a lovely squirmy glow of sudden new affection. The night's release and the ground bio-enhancer had truly awakened her senses and cleared out any blissful cobwebs in the temple. She felt ready to save the Universe.

The Hunter opened her armour closet via its biometric proximity detectors. She made sure that the exact mood-set required to access any of her equipment changed everyday and was beamed to Adam before being re-directed to her. She didn't want to have a re-run of Ash's commandeering of her weapons; or anyone else for that matter. It wasn't paranoia, just good op-sec. After ensuring everything was in order, she tip-toed exaggeratedly back across her cabin, still _au naturel_, the irresistible urge overcame her and she hopped up onto the end of her bed and watched Liara drift back into sleep for a while.

Her HUD's chrono read 5 : 01 : 42. She still hadn't moved. The sight before her was too much as she adopted a flexible variant of her favoured philosopher's pose.

The archaeologist stirred fitfully, and noticed the angle from which her paramour was viewing her with striking interest and a definite measure of open adoration.

Liara sat up and stretched like a cat, lounging back.

"By the goddess! That was _incredible_, Samus."

"I know."Aran smiled wickedly, before jumping up easily as if she had only just adopted the position and coming round the side of the double bed to offer Liara her hand.

"But_ you_, were incredible, Liara.

"False modesty, dear bonded one?" She inquired, taking her hand.

"Hardly. This was an equal venture, as I think should become fitting." She guided her from the bed and Liara suddenly looped her arms coyly over Aran's powerful flexing trapezius muscles and pressed her nakedness to hers. The audacity of the move shocked a jolt of their bond back into being and Aran gasped a short wordless exclamation that trailed into a playful growl as her own left arm snaked up her thigh, rippled her glute, crested her hip and smoothed up her side and back to settle on her scalp fringes.

She looked down into Liara's incredible eyes, sparkling with prurience that she could sway such an immoveable character. Aran returned her impertinence with a gaze of such enlivened but impatient avidity that Liara lit up and grinned openly for the first time since she had known her. And Aran's measure of beauty needed another footnote added to her life long dissertation.

"Ready for round two?" The Devil whispered lowly with a hint of smoke.

"Commander!" Liara chirruped, faux incensed.

"When we get home, yes. I can think of several things we might try... But on a different battleground... We'd best get ready. It's nearly time."

"Yes, let's. And Samus...?"

Aran's expression invited her to continue.

"Thank you. For everything."

They showered together and helped each other into their hard-suits, relishing the lingering touches.

Aran could see the sad resignation in Liara's eyes, but also a fire that had awoken in the breadth of their coupling. They had both changed in some ways. Both for better she could tell, though perhaps not indicative of their chosen lifestyle. Only time would tell.

The heady rush of mind-altering, body-cleansing chemicals and Psionic sensations of the night before meant that they could both forgo breakfast, but Aran still buckled on a distillery vacuum canteen of purified water and a medical case containing a batch of nutritional supplements alongside additional trauma vials of her specialized medi gel, just in case. She double checked her master key HMW sharps scatter gun and her Spectre hand cannon, Euxenite; before touching her grenade dispenser, Argyrodite in her under arm holster, her N7 helmet's biotic amplifier jack, her hermetically sealed folding pack to store her main rifle so it didn't catch while rolling, along with Wrex's family Kujang heat-blade he had traded for a weapon of hers, (it had a Krogan name that even she found difficult to pronounce) strapped to the under-barrel. She was a walking armoury.

In contrast, Liara wore a stylish purple and white under-layer, complete with orange ridges and belt buckles, over it lay a formation of light ceramic plates similar to Aran's Crisis armour, only in white and black Janissary colours instead of the tigerish orange the Hunter had preferred. Her armaments were equally refined but light issue: her heavily modified Diamondback sub-machine gun that even a child could fire accurately and Kaidan's Beretta with a power boosting module were garnishes to the main meal, that were her formidable Biotics.

As they exited her quarters, Aran was pleased to note that her ship mates all saluted respectfully, despite the fact that everyone had gone through some matter of revelry last night and all present were hardly the poster-boys and girls for sobriety. Not to also mention the fact that she was technically not an Alliance Navy service-woman anymore, Udina would have seen to that as soon as she left and the vast majority of the higher-ups had no love for her. Not like the men and women under her.

"Three cheers for the Kapitan, Aran Shepard! Comrades!" Master-at-arms, Alexei Dubyansky bellowed aloud over the morning murmurs.

"HIP-HIP! HOORAH!"

"HIP-HIP! HOORAH!"

"HIP-HIP! _HOORAH_!"

* * *

><p>"Would you look at that..." Ensign Draven whispered in awe after Jeff brought the Normandy out of their expertly plotted FTL travel lane. <strong>(*)<strong>

The Mu relay was an indeterminably old primary fork, with enough secondary antennae to rival any of the Citadel's star portals. And it outdid Earth's Charon gateway in size several times over. The Geth had broken the relay free from its icy prison weeks ago, it floated on a sea of glittering crystal, the remnants of the material left from the super nova. Sovereign had locked the relay down manually. Jeff quickly keyed Shepard over her frequency.

_"Commander, we might have a problem with the end of our little trip."_

"Oh, what concerns you?"

_"The relay's inactive. We'd need more manpower than we have to get it open and - "_

Aran smiled as she fiddled with her omni tool and Adam transmitted a fair amount of programming software, Intel modified from Dryn's repository, over to his hidden vessels monitoring the dark relay in turn.

"What about now, Joker?"

_"She's starting up!"_

"Truly? What luck."

She marched up to the CIC once more, alongside Vakarian and T'Soni as Normandy began to near the now spinning, dark energy wreathed set of gyros.

"Captain on deck!" Pressly snapped, saluting crisp and professional. Aran nodded back and tipped her brow to others as the rest fell in alongside him to salute their commanding officer for what they knew might very well be the last time. Aran thought she must be insane to risk so much, and merely on the promise that some nebulous advantage could be maintained... And she brightened at the prospect. What was living without a sense of the unknown?

"Hitting the mass!" Joker called out instead of bothering with the longer announcement protocols.

Normandy fell into the dark channels and was swept up by the nigh instantaneous dark matter contra tunnel. Aran stared into the void between spaces while she walked along the flight bridge and liked what she saw.

They burst free from the path.

"Adams." Aran put her fingers to her cochlear implant after they had sailed well clear of the gravity surge. "How is my sweetheart doing?"

"Running silent, Commander. We are invisible up to five hundred metres away."

"Excellent. Will you be able to handle her in battle without Tali?"

"Is there any doubt, Sam?"

"Of course not, Greg. Are you ready for the protracted space dogfight of your career?"

"Aye, aye, Captain. We'll be ready."

"Good man."

"We have Geth Battleships on LADAR." Draven warned.

"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Asked Liara worriedly.

"Unless we get close enough for a visual, not a chance." Joker reassured her.

"Don't count your eggs before they're in the pudding, Mr. Moreau." Aran warned as she placed two fingers to her temple, zooming in to look at the endless horizon, from where dozens of Geth ships and fighters fell out of their blue trails and into the third dimension to join those guarding the newly active relay. Their relative position had been compromised.

"Too many signals to quantify, Commander!" Pressly informed over his own console. "They're practically covering every inch of the Pangaea Expanse!"

"Not for long." Aran quipped. With one press to her left armoured chest plate, a Chozo sigil lit clear through the sable ceramic in blazing Kelly green. "Adam. Clear us a path to the inner life zone."

_"It shall be done, my Lady."_

Optical camouflage crackled as it dispersed off the curved hulls of Elysian Protectorate Vessels, they were vastly outnumbered by the Geth, but it did not matter. The Synthetics were outclassed.

The explosions of Geth anti-matter drives going critical in a conflagration melody of hellium-3 explosions helped fill in some of the dark spaces of the Universe as they hared past towards Ilos. The dark side of the planet burned from continuous wildfires in the oxygen heavy environment, the specially adapted plant life soaking up the flame and the lightning formed by colossal smoke clouds in turn. It was like the Sakurajima Volcano of 2013 on a continuous, planetary scale. Aran thought it magnificent as she watched the beacon satellite feeds off her retinal HUD. They were in range now of the cloaked Corvette and what little Geth ships who had managed to break way from the battle and head after them were far too slow on the uptake.

"Greg! Give me every ounce of speed available to her. Don't let them even catch a glimpse of our tail lights."

_"Yes, ma'am!"_

"Adam. We'll require ground and air support."

_"Done."_

"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface..." Pressly notified. "It's Saren's main contingent, they're making their way towards a shielded complex..."

"He's ours at last, Charles. Take us in as quick as you dare, Mr. Moreau. We have our coordinates, lock in and buckle up."

"Negative on that, Commander." Inputted Pressly. "We won't be able to beach there without heavy resistance. The nearest landing zone which is clear of enemy presence is three kilometres south."

Garrus had other ideas. "We won't make it in time on foot. Get us somewhere closer."

"There is nowhere closer! I've_ looked_!" Pressly snapped, old habits dying hard.

"Watch your obedience, Vakarian." Their Captain reprimanded her batman's disrespectful tone to her XO and he nodded his acquiescence guiltily to her show of mild discipline. "Time is of the essence, Charles. If we can't land in an orderly fashion; drop us in the Mako."

"Commander! With respect, you need at least _a hundred meters_ of open terrain to pull off a low flyby drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is _twenty_."

"Twenty metres?! We'll never get in close enough for a drop!" The young ensign protested. "Not without being smashed to pieces!"

"We have to _try_." Liara stated.

"Instead of searching for a way out, find us another landing zone, Rosamund." Tali reprimanded her, disquieted by the red-headed ensign's lack of nerve.

"There _is_ no other landing zone!" Pressly practically screamed his unnecessary support for his beleaguered flight officer.

A valued member of the clan ship Rayya did not take no for an answer so easily and quickly joined Pressly, scanning his navigational calculations a mile a minute. Four seconds later, she was forced to admit he was correct.

"The descent angle's too steep!" Zorah relayed to her Captain.

Throughout the arguing, Aran was making her own calculations and she glowed inwardly at Jeff's utter calmness; stress seemed to enhance his piloting abilities to no end. They both had that form of mental nourishment in common.

"It's our only option." Liara voiced, knowing Sam would agree.

"It's not an option!" Pressly argued vociferously. "It's a suicide run! We don't - "

"I can do it." The brittle-boned pilot announced in the same manner as someone who'd noted that planetoids were spherical.

"Joker?" Aran's solitary question her only invitation to her faith in him, and he in himself.

"_I can do it_."

"You heard the man. Charles, the helm is yours. Liara, Garrus, Tali, gear-up and head down for the insertion. Jeff... Drop us right on top of that bastard."

* * *

><p>Down in the garage, her squad made their final preparations.<p>

"Shepard. T'Soni." The Warlord greeted as Samus and Liara exited the cargo lift.

"Wrex." Aran acknowledged.

"Good morning, Battlemaster." Liara said, almost coy.

"Now don't you make a fine pair... But Sam I gotta say... Stealing an Alliance ship? Sleeping with a disgraced Matriarch's daughter... Risky stuff."

Aran put her weight on one hip and the right corner of her lips tugged mischievously. While Liara crossed her arms defensively.

"Posthumously vindicated, or so my cousins on Thessia have led me to believe. If not I can always call on Councilor Tevos."

"Now, now! Don't think I'm right behind you, or rather, _alongside_ the both of you. Specially since you cut off the chaff, Sam. This team's a good one."

"The _best_... You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Sometimes – crazy is the best way to go at it."

"... I couldn't agree more."

"With _you_. Anything's possible."

"Make way for the Kapitan!" Dubyansky projected over the heads of the milling hands.

Aran greeted her three officers as the crowd that compromised three quarters of the crew parted for her and she turned to face them for the briefing.

"Alex, Mr. Crosby, Mr. Laflamme."

"Ser!"

"Sir!"

"Ma'am!"

They announced respectively at the same time, Orden slightly embarrassed at his slip, but she slapped him on the back and brushed it off. Ever since the mutiny against the Alliance and Aran's own escapades on the Citadel, she had been stripped of official rank in the Alliance, something Hackett had tried to maintain in the early days of her Spectrehood but which had become increasingly difficult as she prioritized her own affairs and those of the Council and ignored the attempted bribery and corrupt influences of Earth. A Spectre served the Galaxy, not a Home-world.

"Alright lads and gals." Everyone immediately piped down. "Now I know there's not a faint heart among you." All present laughed at that but quickly hushed down from the Commander's wry eyebrow. "And I know you are all as anxious as I am to get into close action. We've fought together through many adventures. But throughout it all – we never stopped to question the ties of fellowship that bound us, despite our varying backgrounds, our differing creeds, our father races and mother cultures." She paused for emphasis, allowing her crew to drink her words in. "We are part of a new nation. A nation of tolerance, of peace and justice. But _only_ – in the very instant we shed blood for it... Theirs... And ours." She paused again before saying heavily but quite bluntly: "the Galaxy is under threat of invasion. Against a threat unlike any we have ever faced, or ever will. And though we be on the far side of the entirety of Creation, with only a few who will ever know of this voyage; this ship is indicative of that nation. That Universal consociation. This ship, is home."

Everyone fell solemn at that, staring at their Captain earnestly, wondering if she would impart a great answer, but there was only another quandary.

"... So it's every hand to his station or gun. Quick's the word and sharp's the action. After all, it's not as if we're storming Omaha undermanned. We have people equal to our task."

The crew laughed uproariously at that moment of levity, nerves sharp and fear roiling in their guts. But pride, discipline and courage overriding all the negatives as they pumped the air and hoorayed again and again.

* * *

><p>Five unique individuals made their last inspections of vital equipment. <strong>(**)<strong>

Garrus had heavily modified his armour throughout their journeys, the plates stacking up until he seemed to be wearing a tailor-fitted bomb-blast suit of faded ultramarine blue and jet black CNS muscle fiber components underneath. A far cry from the Agent Mk. I cowboy cop he'd once been. Not that he hadn't been formidable before. But his edge had been whetted to a ridiculous level of competency. And his experiences with both Aran and Arterius had taught him humility and ingenuity would trump bravery and reckless aggression. Volkov Rifle, Seraphim handgun and G922 carbine were slapped into place on their mag strips and he calibrated his visor with his helmet's own visual suite.

Tali was decked out in enough proprietary shield emitters to protect a light vehicle, woven finely into the straps of her enviro-suit, she had never worn armour plating as it interfered with her spry mobility, though Aran had insisted on a mechanized brace she'd personally help build for her ally, one to support a stronger helmet with reinforced multi-seal sheets of lightweight transpara-steel in case one was shattered in combat. Tali was also a walking top-class hospital bed with the amount of medical VI programs and tech saturated through the suit. An omni gel cylinder off accumulated nano-schematics on her back marked her as the squad's chief tech, on-site weapons repair and armour patching were duties that fell to her as well.

Wrex had never even bothered to climb to the closer confines of the bridge more than once on their voyage to discuss something with Aran in person. And the time he'd decided to invest in the cargo bay that morning had been well spent. He carried his typical army bunker's worth of weapons on his massive body, clad in his grandfather's revamped armour, along with two treats. The M-859 'Joyeuse' mass accelerator cannon and two pre-fabricated omni rings that would replace the ammo packet and power cell for a total of six shots slotted into sockets on his hump. And the Z-17 AP grenade launcher, with a double bandoleer of twelve quad-drill airfoil rounds. A more palatable forty eight blasts of embedded destruction could be flung from that gun.

With all the sangfroid for which the team had become known for, no words needed to be exchanged between the brothers and sisters in arms as they worked.

Vakarian tucked his helmet under his arm, pulling at his impressive collar while Liara planted the fixture onto the pneumatic housing of her armour's collar. Aran clipped her upgraded N7 helmet to her combat harness, ready to wear once they climbed into the M35 rover, which was now bristling with additions and gadgets galore. Tali was running through omni tool heuristics and flash forging tech mines then disassembling them in the same vein. Wrex flexed his mighty hands, watching them crackle with dark energy with some satisfaction. Aran made some mechanical adjustments with her HMW master key set-up, before slotting it back into place in her integral back-pack. Then racked the slide of Argyrodite before sighting down its length, nodding once at the connective feel of such an old companion.

Her true companions did much the same, the Mako had already been moved onto the central rail path, all that was left, was to complete the walk.

The Entrusted One thought better of her prior decision and, once she had finished the weapons check, fondly removed the masked helmet before placing it fully over her head and pressing the concealed fingerprint scanning jaw lock to seal the under-layers together with a sharp _'hiss'_. With a slight adjustment of the Z-symbiotic tissues she could call upon at will, she infused the physical objects garbing her with the medium for conducting the Varia Suit's unfathomable powers without compromising the prior form. She remembered ruining a lot of clothing before getting that trick down pat. Neither foreign liquid nor undiscovered gas but unique specialised quarks she could see radiating from the back of her palm, anytime she desired, the power to unmake and remake existence could be at her fingertips... They would need that power today, and in the days to come. But when one person could rain fire from the sky and crack the veil of reality; it was hard not to see them as a god, even when one walked collectedly along on the ground.

Liara was on her left side as she took each languid step, giving the Hunter a sultry aside. Garrus, joined her right. He carried his triple-calibrated U-44 rifle over his shoulder while adjusting his new reinforced codpiece and keeping his helmet from falling from the crook of his arm at the same time; the man was a living marvel. Wrex shrugged his arms up and over, testing his range of motion as he joined Liara's flank, while Tali could not help but put a hand up as close to her mouth as she could out of recently learned reflexes about Human custom; yawning heartily as she followed Garrus.

The team formed a slightly intended arrow as they made the short distance to the Mako and all of them clambered inside.

Aran triggered the ignition with a sense of finality. She could feel the rumble of the motion dampeners as they entered Ilos' atmosphere. A thin layer of green dust Element Zero shimmered across the Normandy's kinetic barriers in rippling waves before they plummeted into an Atomic Tangerine sky-bank.

Jeff switched to complete manual control up in the cockpit and threw off his lucky cap as it itched something awful with the amount his brow was now sweating. He beamed one communique to his Commander and the underbelly cargo door lowered as they shot through the clouds at over nine hundred miles an hour. He leant over his console as he narrowed down the flight path, this was throwing a dart into the bulls-eye while his back was turned and his fingers taped together.

This was what he'd been conceived for.

The SR-1 zipped over mountains and valleys before zeroing in on an ancient but almost perfectly preserved conurbation, formed of massive stone monoliths wrapped in towering tree vines and satellite dish sized tropical palm leaves. Geth infrastructure marked the definite presence of their enemies, even as Aran's Trybondian and Elysian warriors tore it apart in battles raging across the surface of the moss-covered cityscape that they quickly left behind.

Dead ahead, a convoy of Armatures, Drones and Troopers escorted the twisted unmistakeable figure of Saren Arterius with all speed towards an underground silo entrance set in the face of a massive pyramid.

Though he had been walking calmly, even as his forces went to pieces not ten miles behind him, Aran's focus narrowed down to view her opponent. He spun around in surprise, recognising the unmistakeable sound of the stealth frigate's engines just as he had heard them on Virmire. Those dead eyes lit up with whatever approximate of rage and disbelief was left to him as he beheld the unmistakeable characters on her hull.

Normandy SR-1.

"You two, keep moving! Inside! _Now_!" He gestured wildly at two of his nearest synthetic allies, presenting his back to them.

Aran grinned wolfishly underneath her helm at his cowardice. _"That's right, run, you bastard."_

She gunned the engine as soon as her and Jeff's calculations aligned and the Mako shot out of the under-carriage as if fired from a muzzle, flying down between the high rise buildings with only inches to spare on either side. The chemical jets were fired separately and at minute different angles to keep them from flying off course in the wake of Normandy's ME envelope shooting over them as she pulled up and back into the sky in glory, pursued by Geth Wasp fighters.

Arterius' organic hand glowed with rose-tinted ripple white-blue biotic light and a switch activated. The thirty foot blast doors began to slide inwards in four partitions even as a second triangle shaped canopy began to lower from above towards the lichen.

The rover skimmed over the grass as she rolled heavily into the alien soil. Her hefty experimental Eezo core preventing the occupants from feeling every ounce of the formidable G's imparted from the sudden impact. She shot forward and down the bank, mere seconds before Arterius' terrible receding face disappeared from view and he gave the Commander a mocking tip of his invisible hat as the bunker sealed with a _'boom...'_

Pulling on the full-fist handbrake, the M35 tank came to a skidding halt, with three metres to spare.

"Dammit!" Wrex cursed as they were foiled yet again.

"We have to get that door open. He can't be allowed to succeed." Liara recommended.

"I_ could_ bust through it on my lonesome but I'd rather not leave all you guys behind..." Added Aran.

"Then we just need to find an override switch somewhere in this complex." Tali suggested.

"No space to back up, Commander." Garrus informed as he swivelled the Mako's turret through the underbrush.

"Then we fight on foot, we will not leave our six undefended. Bail out. Wrex, take point."

Aran had visited countless worlds: some desolate, others rich with life, and others still that defied paltry description as they possessed horrors untold.

Ilos was different yet familiar to her. The air calm and stale though it should have been blooming and causing light-headedness with its higher oxygen levels. The solar rays of Refuge highlighted glowing nodules of cobalt sap that oozed from and ran in thin capillaries through the great vines that stretched to the golden sky, like grasping hands between the preserved skyscraper arcologies, that were so immaculate that it might suggest they could actually be inhabitable, even now. Instead, eeriness permeated every stone and dappled corner of the necropolis, from the haunting statues of Inusannon scholars that stood in rows along the grassy streets, to the crimson LED highlights that split the security doors of the reawakened complex and the faded giant white lettering travelling down the walls, betraying the once scientific and commercial aspect of the grounds; this was definitely the last secure facility standing that contained the annals of the Prothean Empire.

Geth power terminals and decentralized hubs littered their path, along with a rearguard of Geth Shock Troopers, Juggernauts, Snipers, two Colossi and every manner of Hopper.

With sharps scope, battle rifle, pellet thrower and handguns wielded by each member of the squad, everyone had their place and everyone their purpose as the singular organism overcame every contingent in an exemplary display of osmosis. Absorbing the enemy's strengths and weeding out their weaknesses.

Vakarian picked off stragglers or stripped protections off of larger units. Zorah turned them against each other or suppressed their fire utterly. Wrex ripped through lines as if they weren't even there and toppled a Colossus over a walkway with his hands and biotics alone to crash through the creeper canopy into the alleys below with a whirring, chittering crash. Liara dropped a heavy munition grenade down on top of them while stopping Ghosts and Sappers cold with multiple stasis bubbles which Aran in turn detonated, ripping them apart on the molecular level, when she wasn't auto-tracking every movement with supra-natural clarity with her Spectre and Chozo pistols. If one diamond heat sink was about to overheat, she simply alternated handguns until the other had cooled. Or employed the Varia Suit's cornucopia nano suite to reforge entire magazines to in turn sublimate them into rays of metal that melted through any line of foes foolish enough to stay in single file squad behaviour and not spread out. Though splash damage would still send the machines into atoms.

Aran raced up the nearest mound of rubble as the second Colossus turned its siege pulse on Tali, who had just hit it with an overload mine. Argyrodite unfurled to create her plasma whip, white as purity, crackling with discharge as she leapt twenty feet into the air and with a single twitch of the wrist, wrapped the length around and up her omni tool alight forearm before unleashing the momentum down back and then horizontally in a twirling flick, expertly decapitating the war machine.

One three-point landing completed the display and the squad re-grouped to flush out the lower levels. The months had turned them into a high-precision instrument, capable of covering each other in battle as if it were truly second nature. Aran's Psionic encouragement meant they could pick out a high priority target in the midst of battle or re-prioritize an ally if they fell into trouble.

Plasma sword and gun served Aran best in these closer quarters and once they reached a massive clearing dotted with pillars, they found that a Hopper forest had been cleansed by her own men, who quickly flitted away to secure the perimeter after bowing to their Lady in reverence.

"Those guys – are _definitely_ gonna come in handy." Wrex said helpfully.

"I wonder what secrets Vigil would have us uncover. So much to be found, so much knowledge...!"

"What? Turvess wasn't enough, T'Soni?" Aran joked good-naturedly.

"It's not that. It's just that... The Prothean Empire was my first calling and my first profession. _And_ I do not yet have a full grasp of the first Chozo alphabet you gave me, let alone the six that came after."

"Fair enough. Hmm... This shunt will take two minutes to crack the security station entrance. What does everyone think of the lost kingdom then?"

Tali was the first to offer her opinion. "The fleet often considered settling Ilos in the past, since it was beyond the scope and influence of any government or faction. But I never imagined it would feel so – unwelcome."

"Honestly?" Garrus put forth, "there are secrets here we're better off not knowing... This place should be desolate what with the weather activity on the opposite latitude. And even though _all_ the respiring animal life has died off, the vegetation remains? Something is very wrong here..."

Wrex was the next to add his own two cents. "Though it pains me to agree with you, Turian. I smell it too. There's something foul with the air here, shouldn't affect you squishy ones for a few days though. We should be fine without filters."

"I've seen the end to this when I first came to this Galaxy," Aran agreed. "It's some kind of Reaper bio-warfare attack... Perhaps to cull certain races that were already evolving in a different pattern but were pre space-flight... Cowardly, hypocritical sons of nothing and no-one..." She condemned.

"By the Goddess, this must have been their fail-safe. If they couldn't find populations that successfully went to ground or would threaten them before a cycle was due to begin they'd... Use a form of _pesticides_ on a fledgling race or those lucky enough to survive..." Liara realised with quickly dawning horror. "Monstrous..."

"Yeah," Wrex opined. "Almost as bad as what the Turians - "

"_Wrex_..." Aran warned him.

"Eh hem, sorry, Vakarian."

"Don't mention it."

The shunt finished up, cracking the lift shaft open.

"ME rappel lines." Aran commanded. And they all descended down into the cavernous security station.

Prothean architecture was beautiful, all delineated angles and sweeping curves. But its hardiness came in more handy than its aesthetics.

The wide open processing area was kicked up with blazing spore motes as Geth pulse rounds sent the various plant life specimens into pieces as they attempted to pin Aran's team down with superior numbers. It was working.

At least, until the Prime units had nearly converged on them, then Tali worked her magic and the tables were well and truly turned. Aran jumped onto the anti-tank unit's back as it stumbled and turned, covered from most if not all of the vast room's opposing fire – and with a thin double pronged omni blade, injected a copy of Tali's takeover programme into its spinal local memory centres and processors.

She fired over its shoulder with her left handed master key while she made the brute advance, its pulse rotary cannon being directed with her right hand's manipulations, cutting the enemy down in a swathe. Tali quickly cottoned on and jumped onto Aran's back, her own shotgun belching long range tungsten sledgehammer slugs in tight groupings that sent the platforms flying while the Geth whittled away the defences of their own best unit.

This gave Garrus time to get into position in the overhead control room and lay down some astonishing save kills from his sniper's nest.

Wrex and Liara didn't allow a single recharging station for other Armature and Prime class troops to be activated and join the fray; quickly annihilating them in dock with biotic infused melee attacks or Wrex's liberal application of a duel wielded chemically injected HE round modded Savage and the Z-17's piercing mine dart rounds; sending them up in blue flame bursting scraps.

It was one of the shortest but most exhilarating fire-fights of their career.

Once the dust had settled in the underground courtyard, the squad gathered around the ramps to the far control room.

That was when the jet of overclocked cyan ferrofluid splashed against Aran's helmet before her shields had recovered and pinged harmlessly off the raised ridges of nanite chrysalis that hardened in response.

"Contact!" Garrus roared, tracking the trajectory back in perfect coordination and countering the sharp-shooter with a single return grain straight down his anti-glare scope, from a tower a half click up and away.

For a moment the squad was deathly still after the altercation, but Aran broke the silence.

"Nice one, Garrus. Now I owe _you_ one."

"More than one." The Turian replied, cocky and rightly so.

"Oh really? You don't want to get into this, do you?"

"I think I do... I mean, how many times was that now? Three? Four? _Five_ times I've covered your ass?"

"I was in_ no_ danger."

"On a level of one to ten, how worried were you that you'd nearly bitten it?"

"A two."

"You were at _least_ a seven!"

"Hush now, little baby. Mama's busy." Aran countered, the Prothean language easily translated in her mind into basic Chozodian as she activated the decrepit but Ragnarok-proofed console, similar to the one on Therum.

"Okay, team. We should pick up the pace, Saren already has a head start on us and - "

"Look! Something's happening!" Liara pointed at the console.

Aran turned to witness a confluence of holographic spirals as a VI tried to start up, she recognised the format for what it was instantly, even as a tinny screeching sound interfered with her audio filters, a harmonic resonance monitor field. One she could easily block with Psionics and technology both but one she quickly allowed through the firewalls after quick non-verbal communication with Tali, who quickly agreed.

"He's reaching out to us... The personality imprint, Vigil. He wants us to find him."

And what if Saren has already found him?" Garrus posited. "Then we'd be walking right into a trap."

"That's a risk we have to take. Dryn had the knowledge of the Relays and the Crucible. Ksad possesses everything on the Citadel and the Reapers. We'll need both if we're to win this day. Come now. We're at the final hurdle."

When they returned to the gulley where the Mako was parked, Geth littered the area and Trybondian Sentinels were perched all around and some even on the vehicle like magnificent gleaming silver apes with the multi-dextrous hands and feet of raptors, bright green Tron lines fissured where muscle groups were defined and placid almost friendly visages of races of some the squad recognised and others not at all, the remains of plasma fire blackened spots where ambushes had been planned, including just beyond the now unsealed bunker doors.

They knelt with one fist planted to the ground, their heads and eyes cast down upon seeing Aran come into view. And the Raging Devil spoke to them in what had been a nearly dead but now renewed tongue.

Wordlessly, they took off, some leaping for miles while others flew on jets of nano replenishing gas. Many making their way into or over the great tree pyramid.

"Who votes we take the vehicle into the creepy underground bunker?" Tali suggested, even more spry than usual.

Wrex laughed in agreement. "Good idea, the firepower will come in handy."

As the Mako drove down the short crest and entered the archives, the first impression that came to the shore party was the sheer height of the slightly submerged channel. It swept upwards, yet some nebulous golden ME dust pockets acted as towering particulate skylights, leaving the light of Refuge to flit past in little intervals as the overgrown root bridges twisted between the vast endless corridor; sometimes blocking out the sunlight. Liara was nearly beside herself with happiness.

"All my life and I never even dreamed... To think. This bunker is the last refuge of the entire Prothean species! Imagine what mysteries it might hold! What secrets it could unveil!"

"Hey!" Garrus admonished. "Try to remember why we're here. Saren, the Conduit, the fate of the entire known Galaxy?"

"I am sorry. I was swept up in the moment..." Liara apologised as the rover took them deeper, and the dull undergrowth seemed to burn with the orange refraction of the planet's star, along with quick blazing after images off the depleted riverbank. Liara began to take continuous snapshots with her helmet camera, even though they always had a live feed. "I just hope we have the chance to come back here and study this place in detail after this is all done."

Everyone remained silent as they descended another slippery morass ramp and Tali gasped as she witnessed the rows and rows of tunnels that led off for miles on either side. All of them with dozens of large horizontal oval shaped containers that looked to be able to hold a single hominid occupant.

"What are all those things on the walls?" Tali whispered, though she already had a horrible inkling.

"Remember what the beacons told Sam on board the Normandy, once all the pieces were put together?" Wrex reminded her. "They're the stasis pods Vigil took off-line in order to preserve what little power was in this place."

"But cryogenic freezing didn't help them." Liara sighed sadly, "not with such limited resources. I recognise the mechanism from other sites. The pods had all ejected from their confines. The pods are dead. And the Protheans with them."

"Surely not all. There must be_ thousands_..." Garrus wondered.

No-one answered him. Vigil could not have been wrong and if any had survived and not crossed through to the Citadel using the Conduit they would have surely soon died of the slow-acting toxin invisible to their sensors. Or failing that, massive depopulation logistics and all the horror such devoid final days implied. **(***)**

The Mako took them down yet another steep tilt and into the longest corridor yet, they seemed to just get further and further.

Aran zoomed as far as her visor could enhance her already prodigious vision.

"I would have thought Saren would have set another ambush," Garrus mused. "Or maybe we haven't just run into it yet..."

"Everyone hold on." Aran warned as the entire far end of the narrow passage began to light up with a veritable _sea_ of heavy munition flashes. One that stretched ten metres upwards and easily all the way across. The Mako's whirling wheels through the shallow drink were their answering offense.

"IT'S A TRAP!" Wrex bellowed as the pin-points of orange and blue light grew larger.

Anti-tank missiles, siege pulses, carnage cascades, torrid rockets, ferrofluid jets. Everything that could be thrown at the Mako was blazing right at them in never-ending barrage waves of ceaseless firepower.

"Outstanding." Aran said mellowly and with some eccentric measure of gaiety at the sight; feeling oh so very valued as an opponent.

Using every drop of intuition and battle prowess in her primed magnificent mind, Aran swerved and corralled the tank around shot after shot, some glancing off the kinetic barriers while many more hurtled underneath via expertly timed boost jumps or past the sides of the tank's carriage. She used a massive pile of roots to ramp the six-wheeler half up into the air, its nose pointing up at the sun and hope, before it came crashing back down into the stream to meet and dodge death in a cascade of steaming droplets from where rockets had made impact mere inches away.

Aran activated the nitro-feed, jetting well into three hundred miles an hour and managing to surmount a sudden smooth curve as they traveled almost completely on the tank's side, barely keeping traction on the wall to dodge a great wave of munitions while Garrus fired the main cannon over and over, sending their entrenched ranks up in accelerator explosions comparable to ten kilos of TNT. But the army waiting at the other end just kept replacing its losses as they stepped back into line and actually began to _increase_ the payload that they were sending downrange by orders of magnitude.

"Oh – _no_." Liara and Tali moaned in unison as the speed shot had only brought them about a quarter of the way down the way and Aran began to step up the level of vehicular acrobatics, putting them on three wheels on either side to slip between volleys, boosting the back wheels up so that she could gain more lift when she crashed down into a dip and shot back skywards. The Hunter even managed to bat many of the projectiles out of her path with the coaxial machine gun.

Then the salvos became synchronised and fell into absolute unison.

A fraction managed to collide and drain seventy five percent of their shields.

"One more and we're done! Commander!" Garrus warned.

"Hardly, my dear friend." Aran said ice cold as the enfilade advanced, followed two steps behind the next, and the one after... And the one after that – and on and on. "Fire when I say to, Garrus."

"What are you going to do?"

"Something grand."

Aran crested up another radix mound with one set of wheels and boosted the opposite side as she flew.

The vehicle turned over in mid-air as the occupants lost all sense of having a voice again; though Wrex was cackling, having the time of his life.

"NOW!"

Garrus pulled the trigger and the main gun was loosed upside down while being pulled twenty degrees towards the cracked and ruined floor all during a revolving transit.

The almost completely decayed aqueduct crumbled under the explosive force and then the blunted nozzle of the reliable tank plowed through the compromised stone and down into a rushing waterfall made by their entrance as the lower channels collapsed under their weight. While enough firepower to sink a Dreadnought sailed over their heads, Garrus was lucky enough to witness such majesty as the wall of explosives shot by the hole as he spun around and upright in his gunners station, disoriented and laughing madly now with Wrex and Aran.

But the adventure was not over as the tank righted with more booster prodding from their Commander and they sailed deep into the facility on a rushing strand that they quickly realised to be a naturally carved channel in a bedrock stem that was wider and thicker than the sky-ways of Feros.

Now the whole squad roared in hilarity and relief as they hared downwards to suddenly plummet into a root tunnel that had them half clinging with her incredible tyre traction and travelling almost eighty five degrees down and around, a purple lens flare obstructing their vision as they passed a massive sap wound that glowed in the dark, to mostly falling through multiple levels of collapsing rotten cellulose and leaves ten metres wide or even yet swinging through masses of vine creepers that wrapped around the whole tank for them to then jet free in jubilation and finally to free fall over five hundred metres towards the very bowels of the facility and the misty shimmering tree line.

The tank broke through most of the softer landing as they tore through the thinner branches of the upper boughs and made it past with a little help from all four chemical jets slowing her to land and trundle into a calm stream and spin into a sudden stop.

"YES!" Tali punched the air only to clutch her knuckles as she banged her fist against the interior roof but she quickly smothered both Garrus and Aran in an embrace that quickly became a group hug between all five.

"Now that was a rush these old hearts needed." Wrex congratulated, tossing Sam once in the air when they all begrudgingly broke apart before grasping her from behind and giving her what was (for a Krogan) a gentle noogie as Aran and Garrus had had to throw their helmets off in jubilation.

"That was _absolutely_ incredible!" The Pilgrim gushed. "but how did you - "

"Know?" Aran answered, massaging her scalp. "... Now that is one of my many secrets on scanning your environment."

Once everyone had calmed down sufficiently to continue the expedition, the Mako took them upriver and into a vastly more lush region as the facility's walls began to be gradually eaten away by nature.

_"My Lady."_ Adam's voice crackled over their public channel. _"The Geth contingent in the upper archives was separated by two cyclonic ray shields, allowing our forces to finish them piecemeal. I tracked the signature sent out to activate them along with the wireless power junctions to a position not half a kilometre near your current location. Is it him?"  
><em>

"It's him, Adam, I'm certain of it. We may need some assistance getting up topside..."

_"Already on its way."_

"Roger that. Any casualties so far?"

_"... Seriously?"_

"Just kidding. Jesus!"

Their more leisurely ride finally came to a close when they passed through a waterfall curtain and into an oasis. The arching conical chamber was both grand and comforting in presence and almost bore a resemblance to the very highest of the Chambers in the Citadel Tower, fittingly enough. A single shaft of sunlight was cast down from a carved, flying buttress supported, opening in rock – to fall on and illuminate a smaller Prothean beacon with two extra tiles framing its side and a more banausic haptic display in contrast to the data streams on Eden Prime and Virmire. It flickered faintly in proximity to the vehicle parked on the water strand below surrounding the bridge that led up to the console.

Aran immediately exited the Mako and clambered up one of the many tree-trunk sized rhizomes that swamped what she knew to be the Watcher's Chamber. She quickly reached the zenith and hopped onto the walkway, noticing the six stasis pods on either wall, twelve containers all together, significant in that all these had been opened – and were empty.

"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you." A clement, remedying voice echoed throughout the chamber. "Unlike the other who passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."

The Hunter saw the console come alive with swirling code matrices of orange pink and green, a vision she was glad was occurring outside her own head for once.

"By the Goddess!" Liara breathed, seemingly on the point of actually squeeing when she witnessed the sight awaiting them. (Aran had helped her up as the Asari archaeologist stood on Wrex's shoulders.)

"An actual, working Prothean VI and I can understand it! How is that possible when only...?" She turned to her lover who's eyes crinkled knowingly.

"Your leader and comm specialist was accommodating enough to allow me to freely monitor your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend."

Liara simply stared nearly slack-jawed at the corroded but still functioning programme. "Um, Ser Ishan, I - I mean, Vigil - "

"That is my designation. So you discovered our messages. This is most comforting."

"Yes, yes! What I wanted to ask you was, do you have decoding tablets in your hard-drives for that Babel technology?"

"Of course, the transference of all data available in my memory banks was my primary reason for trying to call you here. I am glad that your Commander's people opposing the Prophet's machines have begun to bolster the generators here. They have been in danger of failing these last two thousand years"

The rest of the squad had now joined them and the five crowded round the console as the partial hologram of Ksad Ishan spoke once more.

"If you analysed our warning, then you will know what is necessary to your salvation. There's an accumulated data file in my console. Take a copy when you return to the surface. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the security protocols that Sovereign will attempt to override and give you temporary control over the station. If the Reaper Vanguard is linked to the station at the time; your chances will improve drastically.

"The _master control unit_?" Garrus questioned skeptically. "I've been all over the Citadel and I've never heard of anything like that."

"Through the Conduit." Answered Vigil. "Follow the Prophet of Their Return. He will lead you to your destination."

"You'll be remembered for this, Ksad." Aran vowed. "And you should have no illusions of being simply left here to power down. We'll need you in the war to come."

"I am at the Entrusted One's disposal."

"How do you know of Sovereign? How did it get here from dark space?" Garrus could not help but blurt, ever the suspicious hard-boiled detective.

"Saren is not as subtle in his machinations as he believes. You, all, here, now, are testament to that. It is logical to assume the Reapers would deliberately leave one of their own behind after each extinction. A guardian to pave the way for their inevitable return. Like those in dark space, Sovereign probably spent most of the last fifty thousand years in a state of hibernation. Periodically, it would wake to analyse the situation. Keeping its existence hidden, it would evaluate the state of Galactic Civilization. And when the time was right, it would signal the Citadel and usher in the next Reaper invasion. But this time, the signal failed. The Keepers did not respond. Sovereign's allies were trapped in the void. Alone, it was forced to try and discover what had gone wrong."

Liara could not contain herself any longer. "Sovereign laid waste to several Garden Worlds while _in_ atmosphere! And subverted the Geth, when they have been building up their military undisturbed and unimpeded for centuries! It's probably the single most powerful ship in the Galaxy. Why all this secrecy? Why not just attack the Citadel?"

"Because Sovereign is not invincible. Revealing its true nature would have united the forces of every organic species against it. Even a Reaper could not survive such odds. But the Reapers are also patient. They will not rush into the unknown. Sovereign could have been planning this for millenia, moving deliberately, gathering allies."

"The Rachni..." Wrex murmured.

Aran gave him a nod to display her agreement, remembering the Collectors, and Vigil continued.

"Slowly, it has assembled the pieces of the puzzle, working through agents to keep itself hidden. Saren is the most visible pawn of the Reapers, but I doubt he was the first. Now Sovereign has grown bold. Whether from confidence or desperation, I cannot say. But it is determined to reopen the portal to dark space."

"Did Dryn come here before the end?"

"He did. If not in material form."

"Astral projection on a Universal scale..." Aran whistled in admiration. "Now there's a technique I still have to ponder. Okay, enough dallying. Tali! Grab five copies of those data files and give us one each, we can't be too careful. Adam, secure Vigil for backup and inter-planetary transport."

"Samus, are you sure? Even now his projection is weak! Who's to say Adam will be able to transcode or revive the programs in time? This might be our only chance to speak with it - our only link to the knowledge of the Protheans. It is the opportunity of a lifetime!"

"We can't take that risk, what with Arterius so far ahead of us. I'm sorry, Liara. But we have to go."

"Surely just a few more minutes - !"

She stopped dead when she saw the seriousness on Aran's visage. The Hunter pronounced every word she uttered next with exacting precision.

"The hunt for the Conduit, is not archaeology... It's a race against _evil_! If it is fully utilized by Saren and the Geth, the _fleets of darkness_ will consume the future of the Galaxy's peoples and harvest _all_ life from the face of the World! Do you _understand_ me?"

But Liara was not the shrinking violet she'd once been.

"This is an _obsession_, Sam! I don't think I'll ever understand it. _Ever_!" A memory that they had shared the night before came to them and though Liara had no wish to hurt, she did want to test. "... And neither did Nihlus."

Aran's brows shot up in surprise, but the barb only seemed to pain her for an instance.

"Oh, yes, he did. Only too well." Aran wiped her brow, suddenly not quite as sure. "Unfortunately, by the time he would have confided in me... All I could do was mourn him."

"The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope if you hurry."

"Files on hand." Tali informed, trying to break the uncomfortable silence.

"We'll return. I promise." Aran vowed as the Trybondian began to skitter down the walls to preserve Vigil.

"Goddess, Samus. I'm at fault again. It is just, galling, to hold a race to such a high standard for so long – then to see them denigrated, even with all their culture, their advancements, their collaboration with benevolent precursors and they were taken in by the Reapers just as we were... They failed."

"They did _not_ fail." Aran affirmed with enough conviction that maybe even Saren would have been swayed by the ferocity of her tone.

"Sam's right." Garrus concluded. "They've given us the first great chance to turn the tide in a war no-one knew _existed_. It falls to us to make the most of it. So I suggest we burn rubber until we see the finish line." **(+)**

Time ticked away like the flowing rush of the wider aqueducts as the Mako tore down them at speed, alongside Trybondian hovercraft and other Afloraltite steam-powered vessels. Fully helmeted, Aran, Garrus and Wrex were all out in the open on the roof while Tali monitored systems, Liara worked solely on biotic buffs for her team-mates and Adam took the wheel remotely.

It seemed that Saren had brought as much of his army as he dared to bring to bear on his pursuers.

Wrex fired the M-859, making sure the back blast didn't squash any of his allies before he did, totaling a Colossus and its entire infantry support when Aran and Garrus had shredded its hex shields with twin tech mines.

They had sped down multiple course-ways, flowing with ice melt water and even larger root channels which now were veined with ungodly amounts of Eezo. That meant they were drawing close to a great source of water and conductivity for the secret project would need a safe habitation considering the gravitonic forces that were being thrown around on the surface of a planet when it should have been in space; they had forged an entire environment conducive to the massive amounts of power needed to transport vehicles thousands of light years in an instance.

Every member of the squad covered each other from any conceivable threat. When slow moving projectiles harried them, Liara would deflect them. When firepower threatened to cut them off or make them change course, Tali would take their guns offline.

Garrus threatened to make their main gun explode or melt in equal measure as he timed the heat expenditure to the maximum efficiency with every shot and with the new heavy synthetic diamond heat sink ammunition feed being deposed for every insane round he ate up to put into enemy blockades and Geth pursuit craft likewise, sending them up in flames and electric discharge.

The Trybondian put their rotary plasma guns into play as well as palm mounted nova lances, proximity mines and seeker missiles, the Geth went to pieces against such firepower but there were always more to take their place.

Aran was sending out waves of electro-ball discharge that vapourised or sizzled out entire groups as the lightning jumped between them or danced across the liquid medium.

Finally, they broke through the perimeter and surmounted a cascade edge to look down on a magnificent sight through a sloping roof tunnel of root bridges that framed it in time and space forever.

All of the channels ran to the tree of future life, a great lake that shimmered from the distortions of dark energy wreathing the hundred foot tall Conduit, the exemplar of the Prothean's endeavours into mass relay technology. The water rippling refraction effect played across the islands that dotted the reservoir in a commutation of electric blue light and shadow dots and also climbed for miles upwards through the shaft that channeled Refuge's solar rays down and amplified them, eventually fading away. The rays from both the star and the construct cast the arboreal forest of silver birches with golden leaves in a blaze of beauty; surrounding the Conduit in a semi-circle behind it. Truly, it was the picture of paradise.

"There! The Conduit! It is - " but Liara was as lost to words as she had been the night before, especially when she realized there was in fact no man-made construct enclosing the Prothean legacy, it was a cylinder of water droplets that were falling upwards, giving the optical illusion of solidity.

"We don't have time to admire the view!" Wrex snarled down the hatch at her. "We have to get across that terrain and through the relay. And those Geth aren't gonna make it easy for us!"

"How many, Adam?" Aran surveyed.

_"A dozen Colossus-class Armatures for the moment, my Lady. And more are gathering."_

"Arterius has already gone through, activate helms and sealants. Prepare to fight for your life, and for everyone else's." **(++)**

* * *

><p>On the far side of space, the Widow-001 Relay, first used by the daughters of Thessia to discover the Citadel thousands of years ago, pulsed into life. Through it phased the first contingent of Geth warships clean out of the contra tunnel, followed immediately by the immeasurable titan of Sovereign in all his black majesty. They were never intercepted, since they used the Alpha Relay on the edge of the galaxy to surpass the known trade routes which had all been effectively guarded by joint Turian, Asari and Salarian fleet dispositions.<p>

The massive fleet of fighter swarms, cruisers, drop ships and seven dreadnoughts gathered in their god's wake and descended down the clear path between the Serpent Nebula's ionic storm fronts. The Twelfth Fleet of Palaven was caught completely unaware by the long range disruptor torpedoes, targeted by fathomless near perfect gestalt AI's and the influence of an eldritch being lending even more meticulousness to their targeting, the result was such that it sent three of their cruisers into molten ruins of Helium-3 decompressed conflagrations before they even knew what was going on and could beat to quarters.

Turian resolve did not falter as the forty five remaining cruisers and three dreadnoughts maneuvered to face their unexpected foes, but they had not been suspecting anything to pass the dozen or so Widow relays without word of an engagement being beamed through to them.

Hierarchy Hawk and famous Spectre Vesuvius Mehrkuri pulled all his craft into a hasty semblance of an advance formation before trying to send out a communique to the fleets only a system away. So near and yet so far. Their antennas burst into shards as red static discharge pulled them apart and some receivers were knocked out completely at a mere mechanical rumble from the massive Dreadnought as it closed the gap.

"Get those long-hail transmitters back up and running!" The descendant of the famous admiral commanded. "Without our own fighter support, this is a delaying action, gentleman! Wait for them to close, then bring GARDIAN systems to bear. It has been an honour serving with you all! Someone get through to the Destiny Ascension and her escort! They need to get the Wards between them and that monster!"

By some miracle, it was soon achieved, the Ascension had just left the radius of the Citadel's five arms and was scrambling shuttles for an escape out of system, two thirds of her crew had been on shore leave during that very day; meaning she was mortally undermanned and Matriarch Lidanya was suffering a full-blown meltdown.

"Activate the defences! Seal the station!" She snapped at a navigation officer who was actually manning her post.

"The arms aren't moving! Systems not responding!" The navigator replied, trying to remain cool under extreme duress.

"Where's our package line! We have to evacuate the Council!"

"Citadel control! Citadel control! Do you copy?"

The attendants and operators that served the Council's private shuttle bay on the Presidium were all butchered, the one on the line, her neck snapped by an unfeeling Geth platform as she lolled in her chair, all dignity absent.

Arterius killed indiscriminately with his biotics, civilian or C-Sec officer, it made no difference; not even the race mattered to him anymore. All that mattered was his cause, take life to preserve the majority. That was what he had _always_ believed and this was no different as he swaggered towards the sterile, blazing white corridor that led into the Council apartments. He would take great pleasure in slaughtering those fools if they had remained. And if not, there was always Shepard clutching at his heels.

_"What a showdown that would be... But, sadly, she will never make it. Here's to you, Human."_

"Trooper," he announced to one of his sentries. "Take five contingents and set the Presidium on fire from the relay monument to the artist's district. If special response manages to regroup, hit them with artillery. Burn the homes, burn the embassies, burn out all those who hide. Let them know what it means to fear an inch of their Lord's coming."

The Geth Shock Trooper chittered a binary reply. Arterius spun to face his trio of Krogan lieutenants.

"As for you three. Lock down the Ward ring entrance using whatever force you deem necessary, then spread your clans out across the lower struts of the Tower. Drop ships will support you. Anything that tries to ascend. From outside or within... Kill them. _Violently_."

The combined two thousand pounds of psychotic pirate slaver all grinned at that.

* * *

><p>Aran was focused to the exclusion of everything else that had ever occurred in her life. There was only the objective. <strong>(+++)<strong>

She raised one arm and sent out all ten discus grenades from her omni tool's mine deployment projector at a greater speed than they could ever be thrown, taking out one of the Colossi as they detonated all at once.

Wrex fired both heavy weapons simultaneously, clearing the way of two more as the Mako bounced across the landscape, skipping over the skin of the water and rising up over the hilly islands before shooting across the surface towards the spinning gyros that would swallow them.

They had less than twenty seconds left before the Conduit's power fell.

Trybondian and Elysian forces grappled with the Geth, overwhelming them under individual units or cracking them open with Battle-hammer mortars that burst forth orbs of jade highlighted gamma rays.

Samus sent surge after surge of energy blazing through their processors, then reabsorbed their departed neutrino orbs through the Chozo beacon in her hand. Unlimited power, when well managed.

"Adam. Once we pass through, the clean up is yours."

_"Wonderful. Well I hope you have a safe trip. You better take over then, my Lady."_

"Oh, if I must."

He gave Aran the remote reins of their twenty one hundred horsepower tank and as the M35 crested the mound and reached the base of the Conduit, she could feel a mass off static tingles crackling over her and from within. But she still laughed aloud though it caused her teeth to ache as they touched the influence, all the while their trusty vehicle's shields had less than a drop to spare.

And then they were flying up or was it along? Between time and space and through the gaps in the Universe where one could step so easily to the other side if they so pleased. She, Wrex and Garrus holding onto each other for dear life as they were pressed into the roof of the Mako and the Universe flitted by in a glorious cascade of matter, energy, spirits, ghosts, light and love.

The Protheans knew how to travel in style. Where was the fun in near instantaneous transit? This was something else. If the introspective was the truly divine, what did that make the world around them, when one truly looks?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Next week we'll have the final chapter and the week following: the denouement, epilogue, conclusion, finale. Drop me a line if you have any questions or hopes for a certain battle suit and thank you all for your never-ending patience and support!  
><strong>


	40. Breaking the Cycle

**A/N: One more play before the final curtain. Damn... it's taken me over three years to finish this. Thank you everyone for making my first fan-fic a success.  
><strong>

**Music listened to during the final battle: **

**Ascension Flight ****– '_Icarus'_ - 'Deus Ex: Human Revolution OST' - Micheal McCann (*)**

**Intertwined ****– _'Debut Trailer Background Track'_ - 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided OST' - ****Micheal McCann (**)  
><strong>

**Race Against Time **–**_ 'I Will Find Him'_ - 'Man of Steel OST' - Hans Zimmer (***)  
><strong>

**The Prophet Verses The**** Entrusted One** **–**_** 'Gravity' **_**-** **'Harmony of a Hunter : 101% Run' - ****Theophany, ****Minako Hamano, Akira Fujiwara (+) **_**  
><strong>_

**Friends One and All ****– _'The Last Metroid'_ - 'Metroid Cinematica' - Sam Dillard** **(++)**

**The Vanguard's Avatar ****– '_Duel of Destiny'_ - 'Metroid Megamix' - Hauntershadow (+++)  
><strong>

_"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."_

_(Buddha)_

**Breaking the Cycle **

Saren Arterius strode through the lift doors and into the Council Chambers. It felt like an age since he had grovelled before The Powers That Be, but now he was the leader of a liberating force, wiping away the decadence of the old; a herald of a truly new age. An age where the strong were not reviled for their strength.

A pity the sheep would even think of trying to stand against a lion.

Cobalt laser dots began to pepper into being and trembled all over his sleek steel and electric blue neon form as he stopped at the base of the fountain. He spread his arms, one coated with a layer of conditioned vein-popping Turian flesh, the other, of bulging synthetic musculature wide, as if in an over the top greeting or an enthusiastic welcoming embrace.

"Do your worst, proud scum!" He spat, his voice a haze of mechanical flange.

The balconies on every level and the tops of every staircase lit up with muzzle flashes.

An inch. A drop. A merest fraction of Sovereign's fell power was channeled through the infinite nano circuitry of his form, activating a blue but rose tinged biotic barrier that stopped the dozens of grains cold. His cybernetic triple pupil prosthesis, so bright blue usually, the two smaller of them turned scarlet in response to the immensity of his power, and it only grew as Sovereign crossed the nebula with less than fifty Asari and Turian vessels in its dread path.

Several more fusillades followed, until Arterius' upper body and head was covered in cherry glowing needle points. He placed his hands clasped together behind his back as he lifted into the air on waves of indigo shifting static, gentle as a breeze, until he hovered clean over the fountain. His barrier still not faltering and his form unflinching against the detonations of airfoil grenades and tech mines. A singular afterthought sent the mites rushing back to their owners clean over the cover they threw themselves behind as they detected the retaliatory energy spike. But instead of perforating the elite guards, they were frozen in space with scores of scarlet one-way stasis fields infused into the scintillas they'd hoped to kill him with.

The Prophet of Their Return had done this to all of the sixty seven men and women that remained in his path.

With nary a gesture, the water from the fountain began to coalesce into snaking formations that spread to Saren's now outstretched and upturned palm. It formed into an orb that spread the liquid from the center all over the Chambers in spraying condensation drops. Arterius also drew out a large quantities of water vapour from the Sur'Keshi Gubar ferns and Terran Sakura trees that festooned the grounds, ripe with pink cherry blossom, channeling the moisture in great amorphous clouds.

Droplets coated every figure and who opposed him when Saren floated to alight upon the V path that led around the second tier gardens; as well as most of his surroundings. He crouched and laid his palms against the water-slick metal, lowered his head and roared as his spine snapped straight. Liquid red lightning spread up his spinal tubing and jetted from his eyes, mouth, arms and fingers to spread all across the floors, crackle up pillars and wash over living flesh.

It was pure pandemonium. Every last one of the Civil Servants were obliterated where they were rooted to the spot as the architecture came away in molten refuse, glass was subsumed into sand and the trees' petals burst into flaming embers to rain down upon the now basking Rogue Spectre, composing his litany of death.

Slowly, leisurely, he rose back to his feet and strolled through the carnage and devastation left in his wake, enjoying the smell of burning flesh, both man and plant.

His good mood did not last long when he climbed the final set of stairs and spied a duo of oblivious Keepers still tinkering at their control stations as if nothing were amiss. Sovereign's dark rage became his as he unreasonably drew out his Geth Swiss-army rifle and, with an animalistic growl, unleashed two quick pulses of HE tipped toroid shot that sent them squealing as they were flung aside or broken into gibs against the walls.

With a few more steps, Arterius reached the Petitioner's Stage and the programming heuristics running through his cerebral cortex activated, causing the interior components of the Tower to extend forth and activate the hidden mechanisms that resided at the base and top of the massive antennae that acted as the Citadel's relay switch. A haptic screen of deep orange greeted Saren, scrambled with a mass of hefty firewalls that the Protheans had thrown up as their last act of defiance before their extinction. But the coding was _too_ advanced, even for them, they had had help...

As his cyber prosthetic touched the first of dozens of panels, Sovereign and by extension the rest of his kind trapped in dark space began to chip the Chozo / Prothean fail-safes away bit by bit, their unfathomable combined processing power solving equations that should have taken an eternity to solve. To Arterius, as he was his own sort of conduit regarding this information highway, he was treated to a different kind of the Reaper's glory.

Its absolute inevitability.

* * *

><p>"Well I'll be damned... She didn't want us out of the way after all..." Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams breathed as she witnessed all of her Commander's warnings of an attack on the heart of civilized Galactic authority had come true. She was currently standing in the Human embassy along with a milling crowd of off-duty marines, both Asari, Human and Turian, alongside a few Spectres, who were helping to set up barricades as directed by a freed David Anderson and even Donnel Udina was trying to help.<p>

"What do you mean, Ash?" Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko asked, agitated. "We could have been away from here days ago!"

"LT! We have to make a stand here! Anderson needs every able marine, I am going to do _something_ right!"

"You don't have anything to prove! To me, or your own sense of self-worth! That's what the Commander was trying to tell you!"

"Was she? You can't be that closeted, Kaidan. What matters here, is that we fight these bastards. Remember Eden Prime? Now, are you with me, soldier?"

"... Of course I am, Ash. To the end."

* * *

><p>On the other end of the Presidium loop, the Conduit, the brother of the Prothean pair began to rouse to life as a mass signature was detected in transit.<p>

Two Geth troopers who had been standing guard approached warily.

As the gyros increased in speed, they were expecting another contingent of drop ships or hover armatures. What they did not expect was an M35 Mako Alliance rover who had wheeled over more terrain than any other model off Germany's factory floors to burst into existence with an N7 Commando, a former C-Sec Agent and a Krogan Battlemaster clinging to the top.

Before they could even raise their rifles, the tank flew through the air in a trail of biotic afterglow and rammed straight into them as they squad landed; at around ninety miles an hour, flattening the two unfortunate platforms into the once pristine bridge.

But she didn't stop, tumbling over and over, nose spiralling as they came to a stop on the grassy promenade, the suspension shot.

Once again, Aran had to thank the combined biotic efforts of Liara, Wrex and her own bolstering barriers that had saved them from being smeared across the Presidium park.

"Everyone still alive?" She called out as she dragged herself nearer the twisted wreckage, voice distorted slightly from her helmet's vocaliser.

"You won't get rid of me that easily, Shepard." Wrex replied, clambering out of the lake, now black as the holographic sky had shorted out; fires burned the entire length of the alemeda but gunfire and siege pulse slings could still be heard in the distance. Dragon's Teeth were also sprouting between blackened or burning trees, ripe with dangling moaning occupants.

"Goddess..." Liara moaned upon crawling free of the tank while Tali supported her and surveying the devastation clearly for the first time.

"I'm good to go, boss. Whenever you need me." Garrus piped up last as he clambered down from a charred weeping willow tree he'd been plucked up and thrown into.

"Alright," Aran announced, secretly relieved. "Check for injuries and that loose equipment is all where it still should be. We've got a rogue to catch."

As they ran to the Tower's main lobby entrance. Aran and Garrus would stop to put the citizens, hanging impaled on the Reaper spikes, out of their misery with pin-point grains from their rifles. And those who were already dead and undergoing metamorphosis were certainly better off than those still alive and equally beyond help.

* * *

><p>Outside the station, the space battle continued to rage. Eighteen Turian cruisers had been compromised against Geth technological superiority. Their ultraviolet GARDIAN defences would halt any long range torpedo barrages and their fighters were tearing the sword wedge long ships apart piece by piece. Mehrkuri had only managed to score a few victories with several long-range shots from the main mass accelerator cannon of his flagship and its two sister dreadnoughts. Downing seven Geth cruisers in return. But they were still lost, the enemy fleet around eighty strong and with their capital-class ship approaching in the lead; desperate measures had to be taken.<p>

Analysing, the de facto admiral of the beleaguered fleet sent one of his dreadnoughts and the fourteen cruisers as escorts for the Ascension. Even undermanned, the pride of the Asari fleet had enough advanced broadside accelerators to hold off the Geth advance as they made for the edge of the nebula to try and jump straight to the Apien Crest and summon reinforcements.

It was at that very same moment that Saren Arterius broke through the most basic firewalls and gained control of the Ward Arm defences remotely from the butchered Citadel Control terminals on the Presidium and locking out the Ward Ring operators, while Sovereign ordered him to activate their isolation at the perfect moment, according to its design.

The five nearly forty four kilometer Arms began to inch together through the purple ether, to close into an impenetrable shell of thirteen meter thick quantum crushed Reaper steel.

"The Citadel's closing!" Vesuvius proclaimed in horror, as the capital-ship bore down on them and their safety net shrunk away from behind. "They're sealing the station! Don't let the enemy ships inside the arms!" He cried.

With one pointed talon, the captain and crew of the dreadnought _Taratumaz _stood fast against a ship four times their length and twice their width. They managed three mass accelerator shots, whose yields went up against the Reaper's barriers in a pathetic puff of orange plasma and EM radiation before space quickly extinguished them.

The Reaper remained on course and accelerated.

Sovereign's static discharges knocked out all communication on-board as it closed, even as the last words, which the World was deafened to, of Vesuvius Mehrkuri roared out from the bridge windows.

"BRACE FOR RAMMING!"

All two hundred crew-members were obliterated as Sovereign's hull crashed into their bowsprit and forced the infrastructure to bend back, before snapping asunder in a massive conflagration of subsystems detonating in flames and their Eezo core going critical in a small-scale blue fire anti-matter annihilation that sent the wreckage flying apart to join the ruins of those who had already fallen that day.

Sovereign pushed on through the corpses without a care, ignoring the cruisers and the last Turian dreadnought,_ Malakai_, peppering his barriers with all manner of useless projectiles. And then it was inside.

No internal anti-air defences existed to oppose it as Sovereign entered its kind's triumphant masterpiece, the Ward Arms closing fully behind it, encasing it and the helpless populace, (save for five remarkable individuals), inside the cone cylinder.

The mighty vessel floated through the vacuum with its sub-light thrusters, faster than any ship its size had any business of being. Below, it could see C-Sec Special Response had been thrown back in disarray to the Ward ring proper. That would make the following events so much sweeter in its alien mind.

As it neared the edifice that jutted from the Presidium loop, tubing the size of motorway mountain channels extended from its complex fuselage to fasten onto the surface as it landed atop the very summit. Completing its connection to the Tower and boosting the rate in which its servant was breaking through the precursor's locks.

* * *

><p>Aran's squad gained the lobby after another fierce firefight and entered the central lift. It was not until they had just cleared the ceiling of the Presidium loop to stare out at the bustling lights across, that the lift ground to a sudden stop.<p>

"Arterius locked the elevator down." Aran stated, irritated, but this was hardly to be unexpected. She drew Euxenite and it unfolded with three clicks. "Suit up! We're going outside!"

The Citadel Tower was over a kilometer tall and they had only risen by three hundred and fifty four metres. There was a blast of red muzzle flash from Aran's Spectre hand cannon as the hyper accelerated harpoon round shattered the whole convex double glazed, gel filled plate outwards into space.

The quintet engaged the variable micro-core mag-locks in their boots to cling to the side of the Tower as easily as if they had been walking in the park below.

Once Aran was assured that her squad was safely at her back, she turned to behold the great grasping squid legs of Sovereign, clasped high above and far ahead them; they moved with such dark intelligence, shifting like any animal; not a machine.

"Arm yourselves, friends." Wrex announced, "I smell trouble."

That trouble came soon after as they made their way alongside the tower and onto sub-vent wall outcrops that allowed a Geth party to descend in their own lift and blow out the glass to attack, or at least they would have, if Aran had not used the restocked grenades Tali had made for her to blow them to smithereens and send their carcasses floating off into the void.

No, it was the three Krogan Battlemasters and their party of Geth Destroyers that were the real threat.

Aran and Wrex advanced down the partial funnel to meet them head on while Tali and Garrus held back and Liara followed their two heavy hitters, offsetting the heavy resistance with mass lightening fields from her fingertips.

The Hunter brought her master key to bear and fired both rifle and shotgun at once, bringing down the Warlord's shields with the twin shots. At the same time, the Destroyer's guns overheated while one was sent flailing back as his eye stalk was blown out in a trailing spray of white pressure fuel. Pirouetting, Aran helped boost Wrex's shoulder charge into a shoulder swipe that slammed two of the Krogan against the wall to cling to whatever they could reach as they nearly floated away.

The move had left the Warlord disarmed and Aran quickly leant her own gravitonic power to Liara's and overwhelmed the micro cores in his armour, causing him to flail up into the station's pocket of space and for a grain from Garrus to his big head send him back-flipping end over end down to the Ward below.

Liara, Wrex and Aran quickly decimated the rest of the interception group side-by-side as an unstoppable death squad. The last regenerating Krogan was too heavily wounded to resist when both the deposed Chieftain and the Spectre swung their fists parallel in a mirror matching straight that propelled him into space with a caved in helm leaking his vital fluids after him.

Their ascent was further impeded by a Geth drop ship that required the combined mechanical talents of both Vakarian, Zorah and Aran to stop, via bringing the GARDIAN defence turrets online until enough damage was sustained to the craft, that it was forced to limp away or go down.

It was not until they reached the Exhaust Plain that the situation worsened drastically. For the exterior defence grid had been activated, either by Arterius or his eldritch master, they could not say. The team dived into a trench as Geth rockets and GARDIAN beams exploded above their heads or wrecked the lower structure of the tower and there were more far beyond that row.

Arching out to get a good look down at the Ward Ring was both a good and bad decision.

"That's not good." Garrus deadpanned, too stunned at the scale of the destruction being unleashed below by the 7.2 kilometer intersecting circles to properly voice horror or despair.

The entire Ring was rotating, splitting into two as it turned like a clock face, taking off the infrastructure around it in a silent rumble of destruction: refineries, discharge ports, shipping container stations, offices and businesses and of course the docks with who knows how many berths being destroyed in the inexorable wake of the ancient relay grinding to life.

"Goddess..." Liara whispered. "How many has he killed, or consigned to death?"

"Too many." Tali growled, clenching her fists.

"It'll be countless more if we don't hasten. We have so little time left..." Aran announced, checking the distance. "I am about to do something _very_ outrageous and _very_ necessary to the survival of all life as we know it. I'll be able to compromise their defences so the rest of you can reach the audience chambers at greater speed. Tali, I'll need a one-shot of that programme of yours. The Geth have left us some surprises of their own which I can deal with on the trip."

She stabbed some buttons on her right omni tool and her back pack deployed out and split with a hiss and a hum as systems booted up to reveal her secret method of transport.

The jet pack, though based visually on an advanced prototype of the Alliance AMU's deployed in atmo, which used pressurised hydrogen peroxide gases, she preferred a mixture of self-replicating anti-proton fuel as well as two incredibly potent miniaturized Eezo cores to stabilise a hominid body on a continuous flight path; though biotics helped with that, especially with a more subtle usage of a charge technique. The petrol was efficiently recycled by a nano-matrix module created by the Chozo / Trybondian beacon Adam had made for her and was contained between her shoulder blades. It also created enough electronic resonance harmonics to balance out the use of decreasing Mass Effect fields that would speed an individual up to a hundred and twenty miles an hour and beyond.

"The best kind of crazy..." Wrex muttered as Garrus and Tali helped their Commander make the final checks.

"Don't you dare die up there." Liara urged, grasping her hand possessively.

"Hey..." Aran turned to her reassuringly. "It's me."

She crouched, deactivated the mag locks and pushed off the Tower in a twisting spiral, arms tucked to her sides. And then she blasted off. **(*)**

The cerulean lights from the Tower and the purple orange filaments blazing up from the Ward's sky lane streets whipped by as Aran shot up the Citadel Tower like a bullet.

Narrowing her eyes, the N7 Guardian executed several expert flash dashes from side to side as GARDIAN pulses and rockets flew straight at her face, trying to bat her clean from the Tower, as well as having to maneuver out onto the surface or dive into longer trench runs where she rained grenades and tech mines in her wake to disrupt the Geth Platform's formations.

Defence turrets activated all along the ridge, trying to target the small, fast-moving living projectile; as it was what they were designed for.

Aran managed to steer clear of the majority of the broadside, a reflex of action forever out of the reach of a lesser warrior. Until she was forced to bank out and across to the other side of the roof as the cascade of light became too much, before she regained the flight path.

With a short sharp tense, Aran activated the static stored in her miraculous nervous system and boosted the hacking programme until it covered a swathe of the planted turrets, turning them against their neighbors and projecting an electric bubble around her form as she passed through the wall of fire their missiles had created as they opened up at close range.

Sovereign now took notice of the fly buzzing at its feet.

Reaching down with one huge mechanical squid tentacle, the giant tore away several massive sheets of the superfluous white chrome garbing the Reaper spire along with great checkered beams of its inner girding.

Silent and grim, Aran jetted outwards and managed to weave through the debris as it rained down or floated out, managing to find a path through the gargantuan obstacles while simultaneously staying on course for the Council Chambers. Trailing paths of crystal in her wake.

Unwilling to mess around any further, Sovereign extended a flexible battery from another large free tubing that extended from between its plated super structure and unleashed a scarlet jet of ferrofluid meant for targeting and destroying Interceptor Craft.

"SHALLA!" Aran cursed.

The continuous ray of molten death would have easily swept her away into so many atoms if she had not been Samus fucking Aran.

Boosting into full charge, Aran ground onto the beam with her left hand, phase locking on to the skin of the beam with her Metroid abilities, it was as if she was clinging to a pillar of water and once she had achieved the proper polarity she rode the crimson streak of intense light at over four hundred miles an hour, biotics turning nearly full rose blue as well as the two fields blazed off each other.

The Zero layers infused and quite literally a part of her N7 armour began to flow and turn into kaleidoscopic liquid crystal spirals as the heat of Sovereign's gun pushed her powers to their upper limits.

But then she was beyond and away, everything blitzing past so fast that it was a multi-layered spectrum of light bars glinting off her dark visor. But Aran's hyper-awareness could not be foiled by mere disorientation. She rode several more crests of Sovereign's red-shifting ME fields before turning over and jetting clean down past the Reaper's anatomy and towards the audience chamber's massive window bank.

Time slowed to a crawl... Aran could see the Ward Rings slowly tearing free from their moorings for who knew how many times since and over fifty thousand years had passed as one began to rise up and over both Tower and the Vanguard while the other fell down to sweep across the basin of the Citadel's armoured bottom.

As her view rotated and she neared the skylights at terminal velocity, she could see Arterius blissfully typing away over the revealed master control unit. This was going to be fun. **(**)**

Phasing at the very last moment, Aran sheared through the cyclonic barriers and impacted the sheet of glass with a full-body warp charge at an enhanced terminal velocity, aided by her jet pack, the lack of air resistance in space and her forearms crossed in front of her helm.

Down became up and up became down as she smashed straight through the reinforced pane, her armour crystallising to protect her while Saren's head snapped up and he could only wail:

"NOOOOOOOOO_OOOOOOOOO_! - "

Before she fell on him in a comet of electricity and witch fire that propelled them both clean off the Petitioner's Stage, down over two flights of stairs for her to twirl and cast him clean into a flaming cherry blossom tree that splintered under his form and buried him in the ground as the material both man-made and natural underneath fountained up and around such was the force of his landing.

Aran did not stop as she rolled down the last flight of stairs towards the gardens as Arterius' Geth minions opened fire with their rifles, toroid pellets spattering the bannisters with carbon scoring.

Euxenite and her omni tool came up as she knelt in a dismount roll, both armed appendages raised. One quick spray macerating the unit to her right, her left arm's bracer deployed a static charged ballistic blade that pierced the other Platform's midriff and pinned him to the wall before he was shocked into system shutdown.

A Prime advanced, but Aran dive slid behind one of the rock garden's main features before leaning out and sending four knuckle blades searing out from her omni tool, similarly packed with juice. All of them connected and ignited the white conductant fuel within, sending it up in a massive pop of explosively ruptured innards.

Her patented acrobatics carried her into the midst of the last milling group of Geth, one's rifle and arm was sliced clean off with her elbow omni blade, before the weapon reversed and impaled it through the throat. A spiral side leap took her over the fire and cyclops head of the second, she pinned both its spine before landing and the arm after with alternating blades before stabbing the closest pair through their guns at the same time and face-planting a fourth through the tiles.

The last was disarmed with an elbow slash and received a megaton punch to the chest that sent half of its subsumed body into paste that splattered against a still standing pillar.

She turned and managed to just defend herself at the last moment against a bright neon red biotic charge trailing plasma offshoots that slammed into her like a telekinetic freight-train and sent her careening up through the soil packed earthenware acrylic trestles, to smash into another fountain and send a plume of water up into the air.

Arterius leapt up and cast several discus grenades down at her in mid-jump. Aran flash blinked away from the detonations that further spoiled the landscape into ruin and pressed her back up against cover, drawing one of the equalisers she had cooked up in her lab after careful testing.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard." He drawled, arrogance and surety incarnate.

"Had to wipe out a few hundred of your followers along the way!" She called back, unclasping the seals from her helmet. "Sorry if I kept you waiting!"

"You've _lost_. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers _will_ return!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it. A puppet who sold away whatever ideals he had left doesn't deserve even my scorn. I'm heading for that master control unit, and _no power in the Universe will stop me_."

She flung herself out of cover and held down the trigger, automatic fire sparking off Saren's barriers. Aran's omni tool synched with her hand gun and it began to spit minifactured sabot rods forged into red-shifting zips of light that quickly overwhelmed both his shields and staggered even his nano-machine reactive shell but didn't throw him down, instead his bionic bones shone through his skin for a second and the shrapnel flowed off and around him as it broke apart and reformed like a hurricane of red hot metal that would periodically spread out and lash at Aran, forcing her to retreat as he peppered her with his mind.

"You _survived _our past two encounters, but I've changed since then,_ improved_... Sovereign has - _upgraded me_."

Aran slapped a coolant package on her white glowing HMW's innards and holstered it. Then called out to him as he leisurely strolled over to her position.

"Madness and folly, that's what you've courted and won! You let one of them _implant you_?! Where is your Turian code? Your _pride_?!"

She continued to relocate, anxiously watching the rings begin to pass by the Tower windows at increasing intervals.

"Oh, Shepard... You just don't understand... Allow me to _enlighten_ you. For I suppose thanks are necessary; after our talks both aboard Sovereign and on Virmire. The doubts you instilled in me about indoctrination... A remarkably effective strategy _but _ultimately pointless. As hesitation ate away at me I realised that my path was more valid than _ever_! I was uplifted, modified, _transcended_! My resolve strengthened beyond all measure of time and space; beyond mysteries unfathomable to your tiny intellect! That was when I was drawn back to my one unassailable realisation! There_ is_ a place for organics in the new order. The Reapers _need_ men and women of both vision and action, people like _us_. Sovereign _recognises_ your value. You've _impressed_ it. Surrender to the Reapers and you will be spared... _Join us _– and we can find a place for you."

Aran skirted the wreckage, keeping out of his line of sight. "And once again you fail to grasp the obvious. I would rather _die_ than live like that."

She hadn't thought it possible, but Arterius' tone took on an untoward level of bleak aggressive wrath that caused a shiver of revulsion to sweep across the back of her neck and down her shoulder-blades.

"Then you _will_ die." He seethed. "_And_ your companions. Everyone you know and love. _Everyone_ you've _ever_ – _met_! Don't you understand? You will all – _die_!"

Aran put her plan into action. In one smooth movement, she unveiled herself and used her master key's sniper rifle attachment as an obscenely expensive light machine gun, feeding a belt of multiple synthetic diamond thermal clips from her beacon hand's omni tool, the unmitigated firepower causing Saren to focus on preservation instead of offence and allowed Aran to close the gap, flip stand over his head and jam a small brooch into the seam of his plated forehead, upon which it fastened to his skin through Chozo van der waals force nano tech similar to the famed spider ball, an unbreakable bond.

It was a specialised sonic grenade that emitted a very exact frequency upon a certain material.

Arterius screeched and clawed as his ossifying layers crunched and shattered into his blood stream and intercostal flesh, until Sovereign sent a burst of energy through him that dissolved the incredible, nigh invulnerable aspect of his defences into nothing at all as well as bursting the grenade tick into pieces.

The Hunter biotic punt kicked him over to smash over the top of a boulder before engaging him hand to hand, using her torn off helm to batter him senseless in a true portrayal of both finesse and utility. Sending him to the mat more than once, beating the bastard's brains to mush inside his skull only for it to regenerate faster still.

"Yet I still stand. You spout the drivel of a fundamentalist fanatic, turncoat."

Arterius incredibly managed to keep up with her combat high enhanced maneuvers. His implants allowing him to maintain the pace and dictate the battle back in his favour.

"Letting go of our wants is the _true_ path of courage! An overture to unquestionable powers is not the same as surrender! The Reapers _can't_ be stopped._ Not_ by the Protheans. Not by _you_. The cycle _always_ continues."

His claws left gouges on her armour that quickly faded away as the nanites sealed them into the thinnest of lines.

"I will never accede to that, Arterius. Whether they were created by sapient forces or spat forth from the endless nether, it does not change the fact that authority lies in the discipline over your _own_ heart; not that of others. It's controlling you in all the ways that matter, indulging your freedom to embrace the animal inside of you and the saddest part about all this sorry mess is that you will _never_ be able to realise that. You traded the most precious part of your own sapience and introspection away because you'd already thrown so much of your virtues into the dust years before, _murderer_."

Every word she landed was punctuated with another successful combat sequence that rattled Arterius down to his mechanical ligaments, but she was still astounded by his hardiness despite her earlier successful gambit. And he sallied back with a vengeance.

"Only a fellow killer would come to such a recognition! You know _nothing_, Shepard! The relationship is symbiotic! Organic and machine _intertwined_! A union of_ flesh_ and _steel_... The strengths of both! The weaknesses of neither! I _am_ a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of _all_ organic life. You only need to _let go_ to experience a true rebirth!"

"No, their darkness must _end_." Aran proclaimed.

She caught his fist inside her helm, pulled him off balance and rammed the Denzium reactive-plated head gear into his flat face. Before backhanding him with such force that she was sure she must have killed him again. But his healing factor was as unsurpassed as ever, what with his heightened connection to the Reaper fleet and the vanguard of their Destruction right above them.

The Prophet was still caught off guard by the foreign combat style Aran was employing and the use of her helmet as a melee weapon.

But he had not been the youngest Spectre in the Legion's history because of his winning personality. **(***)**

With his ingrained instincts and sado-combative tendencies heightened by the Reaper influences within his skull, Arterius hyper extended Aran's elbow and disarmed her off the improvised bludgeon. Aran replied by executing several ground side back wheel kicks and sweeps, similar to Capoeira, that sent him falling back through the air when one connected with a little biotic oomph put behind it straight on the cleft of his jaw.

The two went for guns after the break, exchanging pistol fire in a seemingly endless stand-off, until Aran proved the greater marksman and pierced his lithium sink, disabling the HMW magnum temporarily.

She dived in close for a point blank shot grapple but Arterius rifle checked her with his quick-draw unholstered primary weapon and knocked her back further with a gale-storm biotic push.

"Your age is _over_! Shepard!" He roared, levelling his rifle and firing it one-handed. The stream of unique cartridge rounds became something a lot more deadly when they all opened mid-flight.

The sub-munition packed bullets exploded outwards into thousands of individually HE plastique packed tungsten ball-bearings as they flew towards the crouched Hunter.

Aran sent an extra jolt of current through her armour, causing the layers to crystalise at oblique angles as she raised her forearm in front of her face and the hail of metal was reflected off in its entirety to decimate their immediate surroundings further, causing the spots on the suit where the shrapnel had struck to glow white-orange hot before quickly cooling.

A tri-jet of cyan ferrofluid followed, but Aran stood tall and seized the molten mass in her palm, crushing it into a pocket of gas with a single flex of her forearm. Six rockets burst forth in quick succession and Aran cast them aside as well with a twitch of biotic vectors, before trapping the gun that had killed Corporal Andrews in a stasis lock flare that disintegrated it straight out of the renegade's hand with a disdainful flick of the wrist.

The detonation threw Saren onto his back to slide and smack into the lower strut of a pillar.

"Try again!" She goaded the Prophet. "Try _harder_!"

"_DIE_!" Arterius proclaimed, sending a scarlet static wreathed warp particle the size of a sky-car at her from where he lay on the floor.

Aran thought better of blocking such a projectile and instead axial torso wheeled cleanly aside, the nearly crimson biotic attack sheared through the verandas on the upper level into slag and sunk through the wall of ceramic and steel for about a good five metres before dying down as it gouged out its flaming crater in a shower of rubble, fire and sparks.

Before she could land, Arterius, bathed in crackling energy, boosted into her and sent them plowing clean into the ceiling and through the floor horizontally before she could re-orient and drag his face against the surface in turn; the grind battle continuing around the Chamber, bounding off against surfaces to joust back towards their enemy and crash against each other with such violence that spherical shock-wave bubbles of alternating indigo, cyan, gold or crimson light and all their assorted pallet combinations ripped everything in their wake apart.

Eventually, no glass in the massive tall windows looking down onto Tayseri Ward kilometers below remained as the ME safety fields maintained the membrane of dense, colourless sulphur hexafluoride gas that kept them separate from complete vacuum. Physical ME waves could now be seen along the rings and the wreckage of the docks was being dragged along in their wake, an asteroid field of ruined lives.

The two foes rolled to a halt atop one of the highest balconies, even as the banners of the Council Legion of Merit still fluttered in the breeze as the Eezo cores began to fluctuate and shudder from the stress they were being put under. **(+)**

Aran scrambled up and quickly hid behind a thick turnstile and a low row of flower beds as her shields dropped due to a prolonged burst of renewed HMW pistol grains, Arterius had slunk into the offices and surrounding apartments, trying to draw out the game. Allow Sovereign the time it needed to force the portal open even without his input. At this rate it wouldn't be too long. He _would_ succeed; no doubt about it.

Over her dead body.

The Red Death stalked through the decimated hallways, wondering just how much delicate biotic manipulation was required to halt all of his noise signals... It did not matter though. She could still smell him.

Lowering her nose to the floor right at the waist, she inhaled once and from the trails she picked up; knew exactly where he was situated.

She jerked back and rolled at the same time as Arterius' maxe came down where her neck had been milliseconds before.

The renegade scraped the maxe along the acrylic tiles, sparking up filaments that he slashed into Aran's eyes. She wheeled, blinded, and caught his vertical descending chop on her omni bladed vambrace as she blinked furiously to clear her vision. Arterius made full use of her impediment to rain several more blows down with blade and execute pommel checks and jabs that eventually passed her guards and zig-zag reverse step weaves; staggering her back under his fury.

Instinct and reflex preserved Aran's defence until she retorted with a burst that halted Saren's momentum, trapped the sword across his back and under his axilla to jaw clasp and hurl him back over her shoulder as she knelt. Disarming him in one smooth maneuver as he crashed onto his front, claws and synthetic fingers tearing tracks as he came to a halt.

Aran held Arterius' maxe out to the side as she tested the heft, that was when the handle of the ceremonial weapon with immense practical utility let out a rather cutesy set of sounds that spelt horror to her: 'click-whirl-hum...'

With a echoing crack the sword ground itself with both electrical current and scarlet gravitonic increasing fields; forcing her grip to stick unyielding to the haft and her arm to drag to the floor, lopsided but unaffected by the voltage that would have crippled a lesser warrior on the spot.

Unbalanced and on one knee, Aran was forced to block and parry the best she could with one arm and leg as Arterius tried to smash her head in.

Saren eventually pinned her arm underfoot. Two incredible blows stunned her into a daze and Arterius promptly tried to crush her skull between his palms.

Using all of her strength, Aran growled from between gritted teeth, wrenched the maxe off the cracked pitted metal surface and buried it deep in the rogue Spectre's side.

Caterwauling in a rasping mechanical wheeze of frustration as the blade sunk down into his pelvis and his left leg folded under the mass in his guts, Arterius released his enemy even as his shin compound fractured and began to sink into the floor. He had just managed to deactivate the sword's booby trap when Aran flat palmed the pommel so that the edge dug deeper into his innards before kicking it in even more.

The Prophet unleashed a nova that sent her flying over the edge to grasp onto a flag pole.

With a hideous groan, Arterius snapped his leg back into place and pulled the maxe free from his side, but the damage to his original body was far too extensive to knit back together. Slamming the blade point first into the floor, he took hold of the ruined, pulpy mass of flesh in his talons and tore it aside, flinging the weakness aside as his spinal tubing began to grow out and take up the space recently vacated. Blue and red neon orbs beginning to increase over his form as the more extensive machinery took over.

"DID YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT SCRATCH WOULD STOP ME?!" He roared, beating his chest once. A heart of boiling red Mass Effect fields pulsing from his halved centre.

Aran answered with a grenade that Arterius batted aside, jerked his maxe out and jumped straight up for twenty feet, pulling it free, fully healed to cut away her perch with a single swipe.

They continued the dance along the edge, with Arterius cutting away every precipice she could stand on. Until Aran utilised Argyrodite and ensnared him with her grapple beam whip and yanked him over the edge, as they fell, Aran compromised the strut with a continuous warp field and pulled the imploding stack of debris down on top of her nemesis as she wall jumped clear.

She turned back in a three-point landing to behold the wreckage, mantling rays glowed through the cracks until the tonnes of rubble exploded outwards with an unearthly bellow. Aran dived behind another rock to conserve energy, avoiding the fusillade of pebbles that clattered off metal, indented fully into ceramic and split wood asunder. Arterius emerged from the smoke, a vision of unimaginable rage and boundless hate.

"YOU WILL _NOT_ – _STAND_ – IN THE WAY OF DESTINY!" He promised to the sky, fingers hooked into claws. Before re-summoning his lost maxe, placing it reverse over his shoulder and charging her.

With a flick of a hidden switch, Aran's morphing weapon transitioned from hard light whip to Denzium sword, she also deployed the heat knife saw beneath her master key in her other hand and she met him in a clash of physical blades.

For all her peerless speed and skill, Aran was nearly breathless as The Prophet matched her for every riposte and parry; then she remembered the eons of combat skill the Reapers had to have observed and she smiled inwardly, technique was no good unless you had the spirit and will.

She scored several hits to his cybernetic arms, tearing strips off the bionic bone and rendering it inoperable. At least for a second. For it began to expand and grow like a plant, tendrils with warp sparkling tips bunched and writhed around, forming into six fingers. Aran had to pull out all of her agility to continuously dodge the cat of many tails while landing in a vertically split advanced variant of a fencing flèche to pass his guard.

Argyrodite's silver Denzium blade easily slid through and skewered Arterius' enlarging palm, only for the synthetic coils to pull the blade up to the basket guard and for his meaty digits to clasp Aran's fist in his own.

Grinning with unmistakeable insanity as well as utter glee in the might he possessed. Arterius clocked Aran in the chest, sending her flying to crash into a wall and splinter most of the layers free from its foundation. While he held onto her ancestral weapon and casually cast it deep into a pillar with an offhand gesture of a throw.

Arterius stopped smiling when he saw Aran's own bloody teeth flash at him. She braced against the chunk of wall and flipped forward, her hands and feet channeling vectors behind her that tore the massive piece of masonry free with the Devil as she flipped over and threw the Mass Effect field increased chunk of wall down at him.

A cocoon of coruscating energy surrounded him, splashing stone, metal, re-bar and ceramics into so much effulgent slush and blazing particles. But Aran flowed in straight after, past his pulse shield and took Arterius in the breast bone with a corkscrew kick that sent him reeling in turn.

Recovering, the renegade sent his feelers out at blinding speed in great waves, forcing Aran to wall run and leap to escape their clutches, eventually pumping them with multiple carnage rounds from her master key's shotgun until they retreated to wrap even closer around the neon gleaming member's endo-skeleton.

In answer, the Prophet whirled his sword over his head, channeling more of Sovereign's power and planted it straight through the Chamber floor.

A massive influence of anti-gravity expanded from that point, lifting them both into the air on invisible hover wings.

The Hunter made sure to channel a stasis sheathed electric blast straight into his kinetic barriers, shorting them out without leaving a drop for his power converters. Then floated on the air taking potshots at him with her rifle, whittling him down yet more of his lives.

"How does it _feel_, Arterius? How does it feel to be deconstructed? To be _the victim_?! To watch your delusions _crumble away_!"

"LET ME _SHOW_ YOU! YOU SELF-RIGHTEOUS HYPOCRITE!"

He clapped his palms together then convulsed as a continuous beam of ferrofluid was replicated around his heart and ejected out in a beam not dissimilar to Sovereign's. Aran just managed to avoid drowning in the blazing jet of scarlet light, before Arterius executed another charge attack followed up by a frenzy of chops with his now red hot claws that tore her rifle master key to pieces before kicking her away to spiral through the air.

Surrounded by embers, burning petals, floating water droplets and all manner of debris, against the backdrop of the Ward Rings rapidly accelerating, the two opponents circled each other warily as they floated on the wind.

Both channeled the apex of their power into their respective fists, then shot up at sharp angles.

Their collision blew most of the fires out and restarted as many more as the room began to fall apart; their wrestling tussle carrying them up and down and every which way. Bent as they were on the other's complete destruction. Yet it ended in Aran's favour as she channeled his next bull-rush past to bring another hill of masonry down on top of him. Only this time, Aran detonated as many flares as she could on his head until her vision swam and she felt light-headed. **(++)**

"SHEPAAAAAAAAAAAARD!" He screamed, once he'd been freed, absolutely deranged. Every crevice of his skull face was illuminated with blood red light that burned away any loose flesh, sizzling off his eyelids, exposing his metal fangs as his cheeks sloughed off and revealing his gaping, tongueless mouth as his shriek was drawn out in a echoing note of pure unending malice.

"Look over there." She said somewhat snidely.

Arterius had learned his lesson from before and twisted around to see a certain Quarian Pilgrim meddling with the master control unit. The anti-gravity field had fallen away since a certain member of Clan Urdnot had ripped the maxe free and thrown it aside.

With yet another inarticulate bellow, the mad Prophet flew straight for the daughter of the star-ship Rayya, only to be brought to the floor inches away from her when Aran seized him around the legs and brought him down on his chin.

Saren wriggled free like a snake, booting Aran back as his foot collided with her jaw but the damage had already been done. Slowly but surely the Ward Rings began to slow to a halt and Tali vaulted the railing to land and roll safely along the glass roof of the lower gardens as Vigil's data file took affect and his claws nearly raked her back.

A rifle grain from a rappelling Vakarian threw Saren back even as nearly all his diodes turned red entirely and he began to gibber like an animal, all trace of the man he'd been before devolving into complete insanity. Two warp projectiles from both Liara and Wrex sent him further down the road of no return.

"Leave him. He's mine." Aran ordered and the squad broke off as the creature scrabbled up, tearing apart the nearest inanimate objects it could reach before staring at its advancing opponent with unadulterated hate.

**"If I Can't Kill You... I'll Kill Those You Love." **It garbled. Waves of crimson power rolling off of its gnarled form.

"NO MORE!" She croaked powerfully, sounding every inch of her years. "THIS ENDS _NOW_."

The most vibrant charge yet took them to the highest rafters, where they decided to settle things on a close quarters HMW pistol duel.

Gun Kata had always appealed to Aran as one of the exemplar forms of combat. Why use a blade when the muzzle of a handgun could be so much more easily navigated into a foe's body? Bullets were flying past their bodies as her shields drained away under a few exceptional reversals; whoever was the first to concede even the barest fraction of concentration would find their brain pan perforated.

Arterius turned and tried to drag her grip up and over his shoulder to tear her pistol away, but Aran twined around his back, stretched taut then jumped and contorted into a small spinning ball that sent his grapple nowhere and smashed him away.

**"YOU'LL – _DIE_ FOR THAT!" **

"Then _cease your blabbering_ and _DO IT_!"

Arterius once again succeeded in disarming Aran of her Spectre hand cannon first, but that had been her ploy all along. Hobbling his arm in a crook joint manipulation, she bent his own hand back, keeping his finger on the trigger as it came up under his chin at an angle.

"Shepard... _Stop_..." He whined as Aran pushed the barrel up hard, even though he knew the results would not kill him just yet; not with Sovereign's nanites flowing through his veins.

"Coward." Aran condemned and she twisted the gun free of his grip and cast it away over the side. Everything was in place.

A warp infused flat palm fist mashed his brain into paste inside his skull.

"That was for my men!"

A hop knee to the mandibles sent several of his spinal tubes snapping back.

"That was for Benezia!"

Her nano-crystal armoured spear hand punctured his ruined cuirass, plunged through his heart and found his spinal cord. It phased to the fourth dimension and gathered in the Vanguard's essence to a plane it could not detect and that she could siphon off before solidifying it into a full liquid that Aran easily drained of its charge for a full minute; rendering Saren a mere mortal once more.

She wrenched her arm back, shattering his glowing ME confluence of a beating organ into so much nothing.

"And that was for Nihlus." She intoned.

Arterius swayed, gobsmacked as he gently touched the ruin running though his halved torso. Fingers coming away navy blue with grey fuel leaking out with it. Like oil dotted in water.

Both of their toes inched closer until they touched and their forearms angled forward to cross at the wrists. Everything grew still.

He lost the bout.

The pair flew over the edge and plummeted, grappling in a death vice that only one would survive. They fell past the fluttering banner of the Legion's Wheel, even as Saren tried to slow their fall by dragging his talons through the material, but the Hunter jerked him around and began to increase his mass as they dropped while lightening her own. Their descent came to an end when Aran let go and landed on her back on the Petitioner's Stage, winded but unharmed. Arterius cleaved through the reinforced glass deck that covered the lower rock gardens and crashed into the soft mildew grass.

A massive shard of the ceiling followed, sliding right through his spine to pin him to the floor.

The dying Prophet grasped feebly at the inch thick jagged pane that had impaled him, his nanite-laced blood, now entirely grey, flowing out uselessly in a lake around him, where it could do him no good, while he choked up the rest, spattering his skull mask. His cybernetic neon lights on his arm, chest and in his eyes fluttered, flickered and, finally, died.

Samus Aran looked down on his broken wretched form with equal measures of disgust and gratification. Then she turned her gaze up to see the Ward Rings slowing to a complete halt, back near their original position, although a space garbage vale-yard now interrupted and interspersed the city lights below.

_"Heh... Exactly as planned." _She thought gladly.

With a sigh, the Hunter turned to be caught in a group hug by her friends. An action that brightened her day considerably.

"Yeah!" Garrus hollered. "That's what I'm talking about!

"You showed that bosh'tet!"

"Hope there's some left for me down there!"

"... Are you alright?"

"Me? Never better, now that you're all here. But **– **now comes the _really_ fun part."

She stepped up to the master control unit and finished uploading the remnants of Tali's copy of the file from her omni tool as well as injecting a portion of the archive she'd found on Turvess.

The entire station rumbled and shook from its foundations.

"Dryn's work and Vigil's data file... They worked... The Vanguard will be blind to all fore-bearer technology with just a few modifications to my pre-existing programme... There! I've got control of all systems..."

"Quick! Open the station's arms!" Wrex advised. "The fleets may be able to take Sovereign down before he regains control."

"See if you can open a communications channel." Suggested Liara. Aran fiddled with the haptic circle, tuning in to all available frequencies even as she felt the Vanguard let loose a squeal of hypersonic that was a roar of unparalleled frustration and... perhaps fear...

An unfamiliar voice came over the emergency broadcast first.

_"This is - the Destiny Ascension - main drives offline, kinetic barriers down forty percent! The Council is on board! I repeat! The Council is on board!"  
><em>

A second voice came over Aran's private intercom, which she had to unclip from the field kit on her belt, take apart, place the chip into her omni tool's reader and adjust the variables until the static cleared with help from her beacon.

_"Normandy to the Citadel? Normandy to the Citadel?! ... Damn, please tell me that's you, Commander?"  
><em>

"You were expecting someone else?" She could not help but boast.

_"Hah! Not even for a second! We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura Sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"  
><em>

"The Arcturus-Widow relay is flanking their attack lines if I'm not mistaken..."

_"Bang on, boss. The Geth are good but no-one's _that_ good. Casualties should be minimal."_

"You'd sacrifice Human lives to save the Council?" Wrex asked, miffed. "What have they ever done for your kind?"

Garrus was not one to have his Commander answer such a short-sighted assertion.

"This is bigger than Humanity! Sovereign's a threat to every organic species in the Galaxy!"

Wrex ignored his younger counterpart. Instead appealing to Aran's broad back, as she looked up and out over the city lights.

"That's why you can't throw away reinforcements trying to save the Council. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up and the Human fleet can go after Sovereign."

"But we can help!" Tali protested. "Sam already orchestrated Sovereign reaching the Citadel so it could be destroyed, if the Council dies and the Galaxy finds out Humanity did nothing and stood on the side-lines. The bad blood that would create..."

"Samus..." Liara said softly. "What of your forces? Surely they could engage Sovereign beyond its range? Ensure that no more lives are - "

"If I do that the Reapers will know there is a greater force save I ready to oppose them. I don't like it, but I cannot reveal my hand this soon in the war to come... Its sensors are confused, not blind. And this tower won't stand up to the stresses I could put under it if I really cut loose."

"But you have the power!" Tali actually shouted now, tearful, unable to believe that her role-model would not put every effort into ending this day as painlessly as possible.

"I can't be everywhere at once! I can't give away vital advantages such as the dispositions of my forces! And I _can't_ be a personal saviour to every man, woman and child if the Galaxy comes first!"

All were silent after this.

"They're your people, Sam." Garrus said, placing his hand on her pauldron. "Whatever your decision, I'm with you."

Aran swallowed at that heartfelt pronouncement.

_"Admiral Hackett's deferring to you, Commander! You're on site! What's the order? Come in now to save the Ascension? Or hold back?"_

"... I have to work with what I have, Jeff. I'm opening the relays now. Save the Ascension... No matter what the cost... Forgive me, my friends."

* * *

><p>The Normandy SR-1, Fifty Cruisers, the Everest Class Dreadnought <em>SSV Annapurna<em>, seventy five screening frigates and the _SSV Pliny the Elder_ Super Carrier, carrying twice as many fighters all sped through the Arcturus Primary relay and into the Widow System.

"Alliance ships move in!" Admiral Hackett commanded. "Relieve the Destiny Ascension!"

Joker led the foray down the clear path in the nebula cloud, through his windscreen he could still see the hundreds of disruptor detonations that specked around the harried remnants of the Citadel Fleet.

At the sight of the Human vessels, morale skyrocketed.

"Matriarch Lidanya! We're picking up reinforcements!" A comm operator informed her.

The centuries old Asari CO looked five hundred years younger at the news and quickly checked the telemetry signatures.

"It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess!" She whooped.

Even as the Geth broke off to engage, they were already doomed. The Alliance formation loosed drone fighter guided disruptor missiles in an enormous alpha-strike that sent their ranks into a shamble of its former offence, before breaking off, and crippled all three of their dreadnoughts. However, their precision return fire had to be intercepted, and it was by three heavy cruisers, they're entire crew complements going up in a cavalcade of explosions that gutted the huge vessels, even as the Geth scattered to the winds and the Annapurna fired her main gun, breaking the opposing Geth Dreadnought clean in half and pushing the other two into a space pile-up.

Sailing through the wrecks, Jeff gave the Ascension the all clear to get the hell out of dodge as Normandy pitched towards the widening gap in the Citadel's arms as they bloomed apart and slipped inside the station.

"The Citadel's opening! All ships, move in! Concentrate on Sovereign!" Hackett ordered.

* * *

><p>Aran was planting a seamless taloric gel charge, projected from the beacon lensman mounted on the back of her left hand along the master control unit's bridge structure. Dryn's archive had revealed that the main systems were actually at the base of the tower, not the top and there was no sense in keeping such a dangerous risk around even with Saren's demise, speaking of...<p>

"Make sure he's dead." She requested of Garrus and Wrex mildly. Not expecting anything out of the ordinary, but wanting a confirmation for professionalism's sake.

Vakarian vaulted over the side, then lowered himself through the wrecked veranda and dropped down to land with knees bent.

Wrex took a more direct route and landed beside him with a mighty 'thoomph!'

Marching forth, Garrus drew his Seraphim magnum as he neared Arterius' pooling body and popped a cap straight into the top of the skull, splattering bone chunks and brain matter all over the grass.

The body did not deign to rise as he had done so many times before.

"He's dead." Vakarian informed Aran over his cochlear sub-dermals while Wrex decided to gain some measure of closure by pumping yet more shots into the corpse, causing it to twitch erratically.

The next spasms were not as a result of the grain cones ripping through the shell.

A low mechanical rumble tingled at the edge of hearing, a frequency of ultrasound that shivered through the chambers until the chunk of glass piercing Arterius chinked and splintered. Jolts of red static discharge crackled and spat over Saren's form, placid and magenta at first but suddenly blazing white hot crimson in its intensity. And the noise.

Arterius' vocal chords guttered and howled in unimaginable torment, whatever part of the original man that was left quickly died as the machine took over, igniting the trace dust of nanites in his bionic bones. But it was not enough. The bolts of energy danced out over the liquid, turning it back into a gas and blowing on the stringy timbers and loose kindling to rouse them up into a full forest-fire inferno. Viscous matter became gas and that intricate collection of molecules formed into subatomic fractals that were all imprinted into every inch of Saren's spasming cadaver, channeling Sovereign's power for all that it was worth.

The Hunter raised an eyebrow at the figure's awakening, measured the amount of current exuding from it down to the last ampere and, of all things, smiled...

"Garrus! Wrex! Get clear!"

But the ungodly sonance in all its rumbling stridency drowned out even her words as Wrex stared dumbstruck at the sight and could only murmur. "What the f - "A scarlet shock-wave of dark energy blasted Wrex bodily away to slam into the podium base's wall. While Garrus was picked up and sent skipping across the grass to come to a halt, stunned.

That same energy inadvertently ignited the taloric gel Aran had planted, tearing the master control unit to pieces as Aran leapt up and spiral jump dismounted in front of the creature as it collapsed behind her. Leaving Tali and Liara to scramble down after their friends and mentor.

The skeletal body of Saren Arterius was now on its feet, writhing, shrieking, grasping its midriff as waves of light poured off, until it convulsed once violently, talons burst forth from both hands and feet, his limbs elongated to freakish proportions as wire and ligaments became as one and all that remained of the servant was burned away to reveal the extent of the modification.

It was the personification of the ship that sat above them. **(+++)**

**"I – Am – Sovereign – AND THIS STATION – IS _MINE_!"  
><strong>

"Back." Aran ordered. And her friends retreated as the avatar crouched in front of the Hunter, who began to fluctuate around the edges as the beacon glowed Kelly green and pure light began to flow through her body.

**58% Charge Remaining In Palmer Connector... Connecting With Nova Corvette's Nano Gene Beacon Array... Activating Varia Suit...**

Was beamed across her pupil's vision range at the upper left corner.

Sovereign's avatar pounced.

Aran gazed at her fingers as neutrino atom trails only she could perceive gushed from each digit and the nerve pathways were highlighted.

**"YOUR POWER WILL BE OURS." **

At that very moment, the Alliance cruisers had formed a perimeter around Sovereign and begun to bombard the Reaper Capital-Class Ship with more firepower than was used in the entirety of World War II. Even in the face of such might, the Vanguard's shields only fluttered into ordinary visual range for the barest of moments. This was not where it wanted to direct its efforts, the insects around it were barely worth the fraction of a whisper of a notice. But the being that stood beneath its shadow and laughed at the face of death and rebirth... It had to _know_... **  
><strong>

Trapped and desperate to acquire the knowledge of the organic that had bested all of its designs against every conceivable measure of the odds. Sovereign extended several of its appendages and loosed painted lasers that connected with five of the nuisance vessels. All at once, those tips ignited, spewing massive jets of ferrofluid at a fraction of light-speed.

The beam WMD's sunk through their hulls and consigned their crews to either instant death or the grasp of space, while Joker navigated the expanding chaos in the Normandy, cool as ever.

"We're dying like flies, here!" A Captain's courage broke in the face of such firepower. "Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!"

"Negative!" Hackett said sternly. "This is our only chance. Take that monster down no matter what the cost!"

**"SUBMIT. SHEPARD."**

Aran heard the voice, but didn't care, even as Sovereign closed in the same manner as the motion of a jolted flick-book, not when her oldest companion grew seamlessly out of her skin, absorbed the armour she was already wearing as matter and energy became one and the same, regarding far more than the mere laws of physics.

She was home.

Everyone else covered their eyes as golden light pulsated over her and the avatar was flung back to suddenly be caught in a pitch black singularity that engulfed and quenched even Sovereign's remote Eezo core injections; red failed in the face of blackness. A point of infinite density that began to distort and spaghettify even the quantum crushed endo-skeleton which had been forged in black fire.

As the steam cleared, the squad saw that the Raging Devil was clad in colours both warm and cold, reds and oranges and gold, but also sleek grey, malachite and heliotrope. Liara was astonished to see that considering the plating, there was next to no difference in proportion or delineation. The collar was thick, ridged and powerful, with the ruff ending at two curved spherical shoulders. Every other contour, from the legs, abdomen, glutes and even the back was one she had already seen when fully released.

It was not armour.

It was skin.

The wing-shaped visor with its complex symmetrical increments and an upwards indent at the top centre was completely opaque, blazing the same Kelly green as the module mounted in the chest and from the Tron lines fissured throughout the seams and placed at the sockets.

As she held the avatar aloft, her right arm's metal skin shifted and dissolved into a quartz mosaic, reforming seamlessly into the fabled arm cannon.

Her left hand's lens changed to cerulean as a beam of grapple energy latched onto the avatar's heart and jerked back, ripping a vital part of it free. Intel.

The module merged into her hand and her cannon began to reconfigure.

**Thanix Cannon ******–** Online**

Was beamed across her helmet's Head's Up Display.

An orb of molten metal began to expand from the cannon's mouth and the avatar revolved around just in time to witness it reach maximum capacity.

**"YOU _WILL_ FALL."  
><strong>

It vowed.

**"You First."**

With a twitch of her mind, Arterius' maxe was summoned to her and she spun to wheel straight kick it perfectly on the handle, sending the sword flying into its chest, driving the singularity wild from the opposing fields pulling back and forth before the point died out.

An effulgent ray of red outlined white holocaust followed. It ripped through the air, overwhelmed its barriers and incinerated the puppet where it floated, smiting what ashes remained into the mud where even the gaunt mask of the mouthless face fell away into a dusting of red hot flame flakes that quickly faded, as if the avatar had never existed.

Outside, Sovereign's processes fell apart. The neural feedback's complete and sudden severance causing a massive overload of its drive core. The Reaper ran emergency protocols and shutdown all secondary components save for that which rendered it whole to the collective consciousness.

"Its shields are down! Now's our chance!" Joker crowed as he executed a flyby, watching in awe as the colossus fell away from the spire, tubing pulling loose with it as it drifted belly down into the vale-yard of shattered ships.

"Hit it with everything we've got." Hackett announced.

The cruisers launched multiple salvos, chipping the armour away until Jeff gathered four sister frigates and flew straight up and past the hamstrung beast in picture-perfect formation. Normandy's thruster nozzles pulling close to the hull to increase her speed as she tore back down towards the monster's exposed back.

"Hard on my flank! We're going in!"

Normandy fired one shot from her spinal mass accelerator.

It tore through Sovereign's unprotected rear vents as it desperately tried to relieve static discharge build-up and severed its spinal relays in an almighty explosion that was only increased by the expertly timed quartet of disruptor torpedoes churning into its innards straight after, blowing clean through its multiple-eyed face on the other side and sending its core into critical meltdown.

The Reaper Vanguard still lowed like an animal in its death throes as the chain reaction blew every Eezo module throughout its ancient form, igniting the genetic slurry flowing through its veins into free atoms. For one instance it seemed to tighten and regroup; as if it could somehow recover.

Instead the gathered energy burst free and it went to pieces as it exploded in a red-shifting anti-matter annihilation that threw its limbs, hull and brains to all five Ward Arms, a good deal down onto the Presidium **– **and one piece straight towards the Tower tip.

Aran glanced up to see the wedge of Reaper debris as wide across as a heavy frigate hurtling for the shimmering ME shielded skylight she'd entered a lifetime ago.

She spun back to her comrades, who were equally transfixed on the cosmic japery of it all.

**"Go!"** She had time to project. No voxcoder needed to portray the iron that one syllable contained.

It struck home, sending everything upside down and into smog fueled darkness.

* * *

><p>The heart of Galactic Politics lay in absolute anarchy. Fires burned dimly and there was not a single inch of the formerly pristine complex that had not been ravaged, save for half a flaming cherry blossom tree that popped quietly as the flames licked it; a few branches amazingly still held blossoms.<p>

Smoke nearly obscured the new entrance that had been caved in above, lilac light contrasting with the hellish smog below, where jutting monolith parts of the Old Machine lay scattered and pitted across the grounds. Though the micro cores had finally failed, the amount of protective gas had maintained an atmosphere that was breathable and the force of rotation more than made up for gravity.

Under a tented arch of rubble, the beleaguered tatters of C-Sec found the team. One young Human agent shone his omni tool's flash light into the gap he'd made with the help of his colleagues, who had all set to searching through the ruins.

"Captain Anderson! We've found them! They're in here."

Garrus had broken his leg and his former colleagues in the boys in blue set to work to make him comfortable while Tali clung to him in concern.

Wrex had shielded the two females with his own body but was otherwise unharmed and he set Liara down as she trembled like a leaf.

"Take it easy..." Anderson soothed the Asari. "It's over. You're safe now. Where's the Commander?"

Liara stared forlornly around, as if trying to sense something that had once been a tangible part of herself. Something new and wholesome but now gone.

David looked to the Battlemaster but he merely lowered his huge crested head and gave him a micro-shake; telling the retired N7 soldier everything he needed to know when he paused to make an assessment himself.

The rest of the staircases had been flattened in the bombardment's wake, the curved fingers of Reaper steel stretching up; all that was left where avenues of escape and places to shelter could possibly be.

No-one could have survived that. Not even her.

Devastated, Anderson could only see to the hurts of the Commander's crew, reassuring Dr. T'Soni that they would look for months on end if they had to.

A glint of movement pulled at the corner of his peripheral vision.

Hope fluttered in his old heart. And it was renewed further when he saw both the Krogan and T'Soni perk up. Something had changed in the air.

To conclude a chorus, the barest patter of feet echoed on the surface of Sovereign's hide as one individual clambered a claw and stood aloft.

The tell-tale sign of the N7 in-signature stood out in the dark.

It was Samus Aran.

She stood tall and proud, grime-streaked from battle yet resolved in stature, her left arm held her side, testing broken ribs, a trickle of blood ran down her lip to drip from her chin but her eyes glittered with merry laughter.

Her friends and comrades, her lover and strangers still, all looked up at her in reverence.

The Hunter treaded down and over The Vanguard's remains. The corner of her right lip tugging in a devilish true smile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Epilogue coming soon.**


End file.
